Talk To Terri
by Angkeats
Summary: Gabi runs an advice site called 'Talk to Terri' for needy teens. Suddenly a new customer called BlueEyes grabs her attention and his problems strangely mirror those of her new lab-partner and annoying jock, Troy Bolton...
1. Brainless Jock

Hey people I am back! I hope you are patiently waiting for my next story because here it is! There was a 50% vote for LOVe and 50% for Talk to Terri so I decided to post them in the order I wrote them. Hopefully the 50% of you who would rather read LOVe will come back soon when it's up :)

I just wanted to apologise for an error in the last chapter of Brother To Brother, I posted it in a hurry and I believe there were comments in there from my Beta reader! Oops :/ I hope it didn't put you off too much.

For those of you that asked, I had a lovely time away I just need another week to recover now!

Thank you so much for your continued support I really REALLY appreciate it!

I have a feeling I have stories to catch up that I've been reading, if you are one of these people please PM me!

**Chapter 1**

"Gabriella! You're going to miss the bus!" Jenna Montez called up the stairs to her perennially late daughter.

"Okay mom, coming!" Sixteen year old Gabriella called down and quickly logged off her IM account; a frown twisting her lips as she thundered down the stairs. "I told you not to call me that," she added of her mother's use of her full name as opposed to her favored shortened version.

"You study too much;" Jenna accused gently and handed her daughter some toast which Gabriella took and smiled wryly.

_If only she knew_, she mused. But if her mom thought she was studying then who was she to argue?

"I know, mom. I want to do well."

Jenna nodded but as she watched her almost-grown daughter push her 50's style specs up her nose and flip her back-combed-on-the-crown hair over her shoulder, she silently worried her child didn't actually have much of a life because of all the studying she did in her room.

"Have fun today!" She called as her petite offspring ran down the path with a haphazard wave; her beloved red Mary Quant shoes looking rather battered as she went.

"I love you," Jenna sighed as she gently shut the door.

/

Gabriella rarely got a seat on the bus. By the time the school-run vehicle made it's way into the inner city where the school was situated, it was always nearly full and seeing as her mother had decided to move to the roughest part of town; she had to make do with the constant rows of stares as she made her way to the back and inwardly begged someone to move their bag or lend her a seat.

Sometimes they did; or if she was feeling cocky she would perch on the very edge of a seat and pray not to be picked on, but mostly she just leaned on the side of a seat and went inside her head where her thoughts were always active.

Today was no different. When they finally reached the school gates, she trundled down the steps of the bus and jumped off, scurrying to class with complete focus on her destination, determined not to be stopped.

If she was really quick, she would have time to pop into the library, log onto her IM account and check for any messages that may have been sent while she was travelling to school.

It was an addiction, really. She treated her IM account like a lifeline but the irony was; she meant it to be a lifeline for others.

She had started her online advice page about two months ago and was receiving regular traffic. Some were hoaxers, some were beyond her help and then there was 'BlueEyes'.

They'd logged on to the site, clicked on the IM box that flashed up to offer instant advice and then they'd vanished.

Gabriella had never had anyone do that before and it worried her that someone out there needed help but she wasn't able to give it. And she didn't want to push. She didn't want to rush them but she panicked secretly that she might not get to them in time and maybe, just maybe they _really _needed her.

"Gabi, wait up!"

Gabi clucked her tongue in annoyance and sighed out with an eye-roll as her best friend and fellow geek, Ryan Evans ran over. Today he was wearing pale blue shorts with a white stripe shirt and a baby blue peak hat and she tilted her head.

"Uh, you look nice," she ventured and he smiled.

"Thank you. I love your hair…"

Gabi nodded. She loved everything from the 50's- the clothes, the hair, the glamour. She kind of failed at the glamour but she wouldn't be seen dead in trainers or jeans.

"I backcombed it," she explained, then chewed her lower lip. "Look, I have to get some research from the library for the Science test later so-"

Ryan smirked. "As if you need it!" he laughed as he butted in.

"Well, it's very important-"

"It's okay," he shrugged lightly, cutting her off again. "I know how you roll."

"How I roll?" Gabi made a pained face. "Please don't ever say that again…"

"I just saw Kelsey; I'll see you in class…" Ryan dashed off and she was free to finish her objective although when she checked her Marilyn Monroe watch, she blasted Ryan for slowing her down.

Now inside the library, she buzzed across to the first PC and quickly booted it up, her knee jigging nervously as she willed the thing to go _faster already. _She rolled her eyes, sighed impatiently and let her fingers flutter across the keys as she quickly logged in, her heart frantically beating at the thought of what might lay in her inbox.

…

Inbox 0

…

Gabi let out a disappointed breath. So _BlueEyes_ hadn't felt brave enough to put their worries into words yet, but she hoped they would soon. Or she might go crazy with the worry of it all.

/

"Hey."

Gabi looked up, all brown eyes under her specs as a tall, jock basketball player looked down and dumped his books on her desk. _Her _desk. That he had just cluttered.

"Yes?" She clipped, annoyed to be disturbed from her frantic note-scribbling.

"We're lab partners," he told her with a lift of his thick brows and she noticed his eyes then. Blue like the sky, clear and yet troubled…he didn't quite meet her gaze and he didn't even smile.

"We're _what_?" She repeated.

"Lab partners." He continued, his scruffy-boy hair falling into those piercing eyes. If she wasn't so annoyed she might have got some scissors and cut his damn fringe but she _was_ annoyed and she couldn't hide it.

"Why?"

"Why?" He looked affronted. "I don't know, ask Mr. Miller…"

He proceeded to sit beside her under the wooden table that he had decorated with his seemingly uncared-for books.

"Don't you make notes?" She stared at him in something akin to horror.

He shrugged and leaned forward to fold his arms on the desk. "Not if I can help it."

"Then how do you remember anything?"

"Ah! Miss Montez!" Mr. Miller approached the puzzled Gabriella. "As you are taking Science as an AP class, I thought you might like to teach Mr. Bolton here a thing or two about note-taking. He got an F in his last paper and he could use the help…"

"Excuse me sir, but why me?" Gabriella repeated her question to her teacher.

"Because you're the best in the class…" Mr. Miller explained again.

"Great," Troy derided and Gabriella sliced him a look before facing her teacher again.

"He doesn't even care if he passes or not." She argued.

"I'm sure you can soon bring his way of thinking around…" Mr. Miller smiled.

"Mr. Mill-" Gabi gaped as the man walked away and left her with the lazy sloth that was to be her lab partner for the month.

When she turned to look at him again, he merely half-smiled, half-smirked and she stretched a fake smile back.

"If you screw this up for me, I _will _hurt you," she promised.

/

"He doesn't even care if we pass or not!" Gabi bemoaned her new lab partner to Ryan and Kelsey at lunch. "He just sat there! Not even sat- sprawled," she adjusted and her friends looked at each other and then back to her.

"You could pass the assignment alone, Gabs," Kelsey ventured carefully, not wanting to set off her friend into another set of hysterics.

"That's not the point!" she screeched. "The principle of the matter is that _I _have been dumped with some great lump of brainless jock and there is nothing I can do about it for four weeks!"

"Jock?" Ryan questioned. "From the basketball team?"

Gabi rolled her eyes. "Of course from the basketball team you moron! Where did you think he came from-Mars?"

Ryan sucked his lower lip until Gabi collapsed into her folded arms on the table.

"Which player?" He wondered lightly as Gabi let out a frustrated roar into her sleeve.

At this, she looked up. "Troy Bolton. Can you believe it? Of all the brainless, worthless jocks to land up with, it had to be him!"

Little beknown to Gabi, the wild hand gesturing and eye widening performed by her friends was pre-warning that said brainless, worthless jock was standing right behind her as she insulted him in front of her friends.

"Hey." He said in that stupid, couldn't-care-less way he always did. She didn't actually remember him saying a lot else after their little introduction but then again, she might have ignored him, she couldn't quite remember.

She blushed, feeling a little bit mean about her rant when she didn't _actually_ know him. She was after all herself a bit of a misfit and so she shouldn't really make such a fuss about a silly boy who threw balls around.

"Hi." She offered back, waiting for him to confront her about her insults.

"So, we have to do homework together." He said, his hands wrapped around his bag straps as he looked at her through squinted eyes- positioned so because his fringe irritated them.

"Are you going to get your hair cut?" She asked outright, as annoyed as his eyes were at his ridiculously messy fringe.

"Would you do it for me?" He asked right back and she lifted her brows.

"Do what?" She wondered if he meant cut his hair or do the homework.

"Isn't your mom a hairdresser?" He asked next, answering her question. He meant the hair.

"How do you know?" She arched right back and frowned.

He shrugged. "I just heard."

"Look don't worry about the project. I'll do it by myself and put your name on it so you get some marks…"

Gabi flashed a quick look at her friends as she turned back to face them and they both looked to her, then Troy as he remained beside her.

"Was there something else?" Gabi asked their visitor.

"Yeah. I want to help. I want to do the project." He replied.

"Why? This is a free pass!" She laughed.

"Because I don't want people thinking I'm a brainless jock anymore," he answered and she felt an ashamed blush warm her cheeks all the way down to her toes.

She swallowed and looked up. "You can come round Thursday after school?"

He nodded. "See you then," he said before he turned away.

"Oh my god, he was stood right there!" Kelsey whispered furiously as Troy left the scene.

"He heard every word, Gabs, what are you going to do?" Ryan added, equally excited.

"Oh jeez, I dunno, kill myself?"

Ryan tilted his head and Kelsey gave her a look.

"Okay I'm sorry!" She held up her hands and stood and scooped her books up. "I'll go and apologise right now…"

"Tell him I said hi!" Kelsey called after her and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

/

Gabriella didn't apologise. She considered helping Troy out on the project was enough of a concession and she wasn't about to go into the lion's den and have her hand bitten off- and going into the circle of basketball players would be doing just that.

The cheerleaders were never far away and Gabriella didn't like to remind herself just how stunted her growth _really_ was; or how unattractive she was compared to their perfection. She just accepted she was always going to be 'second grade' and she was okay with that.

Mostly.

There had been a boy last year who had liked her. Somehow he liked her look and asked her out and they had gone on a few dates and although she liked that he liked her; they just didn't click. She just never felt like kissing him. She hadn't felt like kissing _anyone _really and for a while she wondered if she were a secret lesbian; but she knew she wasn't. It was just her, there was something missing, something not right and she hadn't worked out what it was, but it was definitely not there and couldn't be denied.

She sighed out as she shouldered her way into English and wondered when she would feel _normal. _Normal like everyone else in this room.

Did you see Sharpay Evans- Drama Club Captain-starting up websites? Did Taylor McKessie spend every waking hour worrying about people she didn't know? Was Martha Cox addicted to her IM?

She doubted it.

So why did she have to be such a freak?

She didn't have long to contemplate the answer before Ms. Darbus handed out an assignment and her mind was submerged into something else; alleviating her from her worries for a short time at least.

/

"Hey, mom!" Gabriella flew in the door and ran through the kitchen towards her room.

"Gabriella!" Her mother called as she watched in bemusement.

Gabi skidded to a halt and rolled her eyes while her back was to her mother. "Yes?"

"Can you help me with dinner please?" Her parent asked softly and she sighed knowing she wouldn't get to her PC anytime soon.

"Do I have to?" Gabi whined.

Jenna laughed. "Yes you have to! What's the matter with you today?"

Gabi shrugged. "Bad day."

"Why what happened?" Her mom asked as she handed her a colander of carrots to chop.

"Oh Mr. Miller gave us all new lab partners and I got stuck with the most heinous jock basketball player…"

"That bad huh?" Jenna looked down on her child with affection.

"I guess it's not _so _bad," Gabi ventured, rolling her eyes up to her mother.

"Oh?" Her mother lifted her brows.

"I just called him brainless and he heard…" She sighed.

"Well, that's not a very nice thing to say about somebody," her mom admonished gently.

"He's coming over this week to do homework," she added, ignoring her mother's comment about how unkind she had been.

Jenna looked to her small daughter and noticed the vulnerability in her unsaid words.

"I'm looking forward to meeting him," Jenna offered.

"Oh mom, please do not embarrass me…" Gabi rolled her eyes and handed over the carrots she had chopped. "Can I go now?"

Jenna frowned. "What is it you do all night up there? I hope you're not on those internet chat sites talking to paedophiles who pretend to be teenage boys…"

"Mom!" Gabi complained. "Jeez…"

"Okay just for an hour until dinner…"

Gabi sprinted up the stairs, finally released from her punishment to enjoy her real passion- helping others.

Her PC booted while she stripped off her school outfit and threw on her lounge clothes and she scooped her hair into a bun while she waited for her home page to load.

Once she was logged onto her page, she quickly scanned for messages and saw she had four, opening her inbox while she held her breath unknowingly and when she scanned the names of each user, she let out her breath in disappointment. _BlueEyes_ wasn't one of them. She had really hoped they might have come back and asked what they really needed to ask, but nothing.

As she dutifully responded to the queries she had received, Gabi noticed her IM flick up in the corner of the screen.

She gasped as she read the words.

_: Anyone there?_

She quickly recovered and typed back.

TezzyG: Yes, I'm here.

_-pause-_

_: How does this work?_

TezzyG: You just tell me as much or as little as you like.

Gabi chewed her lower lip and leaned instinctively closer to the screen as she prayed inwardly for the shy _BlueEyes_ to say more.

_: So can we just talk?_

TezzyG: Of course. Why don't you start by telling me a bit about yourself?

_: That's exactly what I don't want to talk about._

TezzyG: That's ok. Well my name is Terri, I go to high school and I suck at track.

_: Terri? Isn't that a weird name for a girl?_

Gabi's brows lifted. So she was talking to a guy…interesting. It must have taken a hell of a lot of courage for him to approach her and she hoped to God she didn't fail. Already he didn't want to talk about himself so the counseling process was going to be hard.

TezzyG: Ok, you got me. It's my screen name. I have to protect my identity.

_: Internet pervs come here too?_

TezzyG: Sometimes.

_: You're younger than I thought._

TezzyG: I've seen life. Age is just a number, right?

_: What kind of life have you seen?_

Gabi swallowed. She wasn't meant to talk about herself, really. She wasn't meant to reveal too many personal details and she didn't want to lie. But _BlueEyes_ wasn't going to open up without a bit of two-way trust so she took a deep breath and kept typing.

TezzyG: My mom moved us from downtown Detroit to Albuquerque two years ago.

_: Downtown Detroit? Wow, that's bad-ass._

TezzyG: Well I'm not.

_: Did you see any guns?_

TezzyG: Once.

_: …tell me more?_

TezzyG: It's not something I'm proud of.

_: **You** owned the gun? ;)_

TezzyG: No, actually it was my father. Right before he left, I saw him with a gun doing something he shouldn't be doing.

_: Wow, so your family is as cracked up as mine is._

TezzyG: Your dad left too?

Gabi wondered if the mysterious guy would fall for her loaded question. She tapped her fingers on the keyboard while she waited.

_: I think I'd actually prefer it if he did leave._

And there it was.

TezzyG: Why's that?

…

_ has logged off. Any messages you send will be delivered when they log on._

…

"Damn!" Gabi cursed out loud and threw her laptop to one side with a gentle swing and it landed in the middle of her bed.

"Is everything ok?" Jenna Montez pushed open the partly open door and frowned at her child.

"Oh…just some homework I don't know how to do…" Gabi lied carefully, sucking her lower lip.

"What's the problem?" Jenna asked and came inside the room to sit next to her on the bed. The last thing Gabi needed was parental concern right now but she was grateful her mother cared enough to ask.

"Okay well it maybe isn't homework…" She ventured slowly, looking up.

"Okay, what is it?" Jenna encouraged.

"There's this guy…and I don't know how to talk to him…he doesn't want to talk about his problems but I know he has them…"

"Gabi," Jenna rubbed her back gently and then cupped her arm supportively. "Is this about your new lab partner?"

Gabi darted her a look. _Why would she assume a thing like that? Just because she'd called him a jerk?_

"No, mom. It's about another guy." Gabi assured.

Jenna lifted her brows humorously. "How many guys are there for me to know about?"

"Ha-ha," Gabi rolled her eyes. "But you still didn't tell me how to talk to him…"

"You have to find your own way, honey." Jenna told her knowingly. "Or you won't be true to yourself."

"Yes mom," Gabi nodded and hugged her briefly.

"Dinner's ready," Jenna told her with a kind smile and Gabi nodded.

"I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay, honey." Jenna pulled the door up as she left and Gabi retrieved her laptop, staring at the words of the conversation that ended so suddenly.

"_Maybe next time,_" she murmured to the unknown soul.


	2. Unexpected

Gosh I am having some technical errors :/ The 'BlueEyes' IM tag didn't show up but hopefully you understood who it was messaging! I'm so sorry :(

Zacharyandvanessa- It's set in modern times, just that Gabi likes the 50's style :)

Starswalkbackward- yay! Lol I've not seen Twilight so I'll wait patiently for the next instalment of your Troyella :)

Nikki- You don't always need to post a review, I know you so well now. Thank you for the compliment, I try really hard to tackle things that affect people in real-life!

**Chapter 2**

Gabi was last in cross-country. She was always last in cross country despite being slim and fairly athletic but somehow when it came to running, she just failed. Majorly.

As she dragged her feet across the yard toward the gym changing rooms; she spotted the boy's team by the basketball hoop, looking as though they were also winding down from their session.

She tried to walk with her head down and her eyes locked to the ground but she couldn't help the curious flicker towards the group as she spotted her new lab partner among them- against the wall and surrounded, but not in a menacing way.

"I can't play anymore…" Troy's soft but insistent voice carried across the yard and Gabi's ears pricked up.

"It was just one game, dude; you can't quit the team…" Gabi recognized the deeper tones of Chad Danforth reply.

"Yeah, man, we all have bad days…" Was that Jason, she wondered?

"Look, I told you I can't do it anymore, okay?" This time, the voice was angrier, bitter even and Gabi actually stopped and looked up, seeing the tall, brown haired boy exit the crowd around him and for three whole seconds, his blue eyes fixed on her brown ones and neither of them spoke but Gabi knew he knew she had heard. And she sucked in a fearful breath at what he might do but she didn't need to because he merely looked away and stormed inside the building, slamming the changing room door behind him as he went, leaving her to exhale slowly.

_Phew._

"Hey, Montez, looking good," Jason Cross called to her and the boys snickered as she rolled her eyes. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Not in this lifetime, Jason," she remarked with a stretched smile before she scurried into the safety of the changing rooms.

/

"Your hair is flat…" Kelsey remarked as Gabi slipped into the seat beside her for last period Math.

"I just had Physical Ed," Gabi whispered and her friend nodded, knowing this was the only time she would see her friend without back-combing.

"Oh look who it is…" Kelsey murmured as a shadow fell on the desk and Gabi looked up from where she had been rooting in her bag for her notebook and pen.

"Who?"

"Who what?" Troy Bolton asked back, flipping his hair out of his eyes that was also damp from last period.

"Who…killed JR?" Gabi blurted to cover her gaffe.

"Bobby…I think?" Troy replied, unnervingly familiar in his response.

"I must have missed that episode…" Gabi murmured, then frowned as Troy stood fixed by her side. "Are you alright?" She asked eventually.

He gripped his bag strap uncomfortably and ran his hand up and down it in a nervous gesture.

Gabi lifted her brows.

"Uh…can we talk? Maybe after class?" He ventured in a low voice.

"You can sit here if you like," Kelsey offered and jumped up, giving Gabi a look before she moved into another seat.

"Oh, wait Kelsey, you don't have to…" Gabi trailed off as her friend merely winked encouragingly at her before facing forward.

Troy still hovered and Gabi cast her eyes up. "I'll meet you after class," she told him.

"Can I sit there?" He asked instead.

Gabi sighed. "I guess so."

"Why are you always so angry?" He smiled lopsidedly as he slid into the seat next to her.

She flicked him a look, unable to reply as the teacher came into class and called attention.

"Hey…" Troy elbowed her and she frowned at him irritably.

"What?" She whispered back, annoyed.

"What you saw before…"

"It doesn't matter…" She broke eye contact and tried to pay attention to the lecture but actually, having a basketball player sat next to her was pure distraction. Mostly because every girl in class kept looking at them both and nearly every boy, too.

"It does," he insisted but the presence of the tutor beside their desk brought his gaze up.

"Something to share, Bolton?" Mr. Lomax asked.

"Uh, no sir," he looked down to the desk and fiddled with his pen.

"Miss Montez?" He added and Gabi's cheeks flared.

"No, sir."

"Good, then I'll carry on the class if that's okay with you both…"

/

"Gabriella, wait up!" Troy called as the petite Filipino rushed from class, her normally styled hair just wavy and loose down her back but her tear-shaped glasses ever-present, framing her beautiful brown eyes.

Gabi paused from her quick exit down the hallway.

"Hey, sorry I got you in trouble back there…"

"Why are you talking to me?" She asked bluntly.

"Because." He said, frowning at her challenging question.

"Because what?" She folded her arms and tilted her head, wondering if the jocks were playing some kind of game with her and Troy was the leader.

His blue eyes held hers but his words didn't come.

"See you after school tomorrow for Lab homework," he said and brushed by her down the hallway and she turned to follow, seeing Kelsey waiting for her by her locker and she wondered if Troy had seen her too and that's why he had escaped.

"So, what did he say?" Kelsey asked as Gabi went over to rid her books.

"Not much," Gabi shared honestly.

"Oh come _on!_ Troy Bolton? THE basketball player? Troy Bolton asked to sit next to you and he had nothing to say?"

"That's right," Gabi shrugged lightly.

"Mm, you better not be lying to your best friend…" Kelsey warned and Gabi looked at her.

"I'm not lying."

"Fine. Let's go, then."

/

_BlueEyes_ didn't come online all night.

Gabi lay on her bed on her front and typed replies to her daily messages with the silent hope she would get to talk to her new needy 'friend' but he didn't appear. She gave every one of her customers the same degree of commitment but there was something about _BlueEyes_ that made her want to find out the whole story.

Only that wasn't going to be tonight. Nor tomorrow night what with Troy coming over for Lab homework.

She sighed as the jock came into her thoughts. She hadn't expected him to be there, at the forefront of her mind as she checked her facebook and twitter, but he was. He was there and she didn't know why.

Other than his strange behaviour in Math today.

But she didn't want to even try and decipher what went on in Troy Bolton's head so she rolled onto her back and picked up her phone, testing Kelsey with her thoughts.

Gabi: Do you think I should find a boyfriend?

Kelsey: I don't know- do you want to?

Gabi: Well you have Ryan

Kelsey: So? Have you seen anyone cute?

Gabi: Not really…

Kelsey: Wait, do you mean Troy?

Gabi: No! No way, he's a jock and besides he doesn't like me that way.

Kelsey: Do you like him that way?

Gabi: This conversation is over.

Kelsey: That's a yes!

Gabi: It is not! It means I don't want to talk about something that's not even real.

Kelsey: Why don't you come bowling with us Saturday night, you can get ready at mine.

Gabi: I'll think about it, see you tomorrow.

Gabi signed off with a sigh into her pillow. Playing third wheel, how fun. Not.

/

"Mom, this is Troy. He's my lab partner…"

Gabi's brown eyes rolled upwards under her spectacle frames; her rich black hair in its usual half-up, half-down style with back-combing on the crown and a pretty clip to hold it in place. She was wearing a pink checked shirt-dress with her worn cherry-red leather shoes and she had never looked more uncomfortable.

Jenna however, was pleased to meet the elusive Troy.

"Hello, there," she smiled warmly. "I was thinking of fish fingers for tea- do you like fish fingers?"

Gabi made a face at her mom. "Really? Fish fingers?"

"I love fish fingers," Troy replied, his fringe hanging down in his face as Gabi twisted to look at him and she made a face at him too.

"Really? Fish fingers?"

"You don't like fish fingers?" He asked innocently as Jenna watched on in the kitchen where they hovered in limbo.

Gabi merely rolled her eyes and stomped through the kitchen while Troy paused in the room.

"Uh…thanks for having me Mrs. Montez…" He offered to Jenna politely and she smiled in surprise.

"You're welcome Troy. Please, call me Jenna …"

Troy nodded and slipped his hands in his pockets, following Gabi into the house when she stuck her head around the kitchen archway to look for him.

"Are you coming?" She asked in that way she did and he couldn't help his smile as he followed.

/

"So this is your room…" Troy looked around nosily and noted the ethnic vibe of the decoration- a dream catcher above the bed, a red, ochre and brown embroidered bed throw and ornaments carved from wood.

And then there was her teddy-bear. A big, brown, bobbly but soft fluffy toy that sat proudly on her bed. He sat down and lifted the creature with gentle hands, a soft smile gracing his lips.

"He's a lot like mine," he looked up at her.

"You have a teddy bear?" She almost accused with a brow arch.

He blushed at her tone. "Yeah…I guess I shouldn't have admitted to that…"

Gabi sucked her lower lip. "I was just surprised, that's all," she softened her tone. It was actually quite cute that he had a bear let alone admitting it.

As Troy sat and fussed over the toy, Gabi pulled out the books they needed and set up a study area on the bed.

"Okay, so we need to decide what our project is going to be based on…" She began formally, not sure how to handle having the tall and sleek Troy in her room playing with her bear of all things.

He looked over his shoulder at her. "How cute your bear is?" He smiled and she tilted her head. "Okay, sorry…"

"We have to collect samples and test them for chemicals but are we going to choose water, earth or air?"

"Well I have no idea how we collect air," he admitted with a purse of his lips as he twisted and lay on his side, propping his head on his hand and his elbow on the bed. The bear remained firmly in his possession she noted as he tucked 'Julian' under his belly and leaned up to make notes.

"With the suction cup," Gabi looked to him and flipped to a page in the text book to show him. "Remember?"

He gave a little curl of his lips. "Not really."

"Do you pay _any _attention in class?" She asked.

This time he grinned. "No. Do you?"

She sighed. "Not all of us are jocks with scholarships to pay for college," she arched and she watched his grin fade.

When he ventured his eyes up to her again, she felt nervous for what he was about to say.

"I'm not a jock anymore," he shared quietly.

Gabi frowned. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," he lifted his brows. "I quit the team. I'm not playing anymore."

Gabi wanted to ask him why not but somehow she sensed he wouldn't tell her even if she did, so she just accepted his admission and briefly wondered why he felt he could trust her with that information and then she blinked it away.

"Ok."

"What you heard yesterday…that was me quitting," he added, flipping through the pages of the work book.

"I see."

"Thank you for not saying anything," he carried on nonchalantly.

"You're not at all what I expected," Gabi admitted as Troy showed her a sensitive side she had never had the chance to see before. Mostly because he was pounding round the gym with his basketball or strutting the halls with his friends. But alone, like this, he was all kinds of surprising.

"Is that good or bad?" He teased.

"Good," she assured confidently, and then picked up her notepad.

"I think we should do earth _and _water." He suggested of their project. "I know this quarry down by the detergent plant. Surely they have chemicals running out of that place? We can take some samples of rock and water and pitch the two against each other for which absorbs the most pollution and then compare it to rocks in the yard and water from the tap for the percentage of harmful chemicals in comparison."

Gabi's eyes widened as she just stared at him.

"What did you do with Troy?" She asked lightly and he had the grace to chuckle.

"If you tell one soul that I listen in class, there will be trouble, Gabriella," he warned with a warm voice and she felt her insides quiver excitedly. Somehow when he said it like that, she wanted to get in all kinds of trouble.

"You should call me Gabi," she broached. "No-one calls me Gabriella."

"Why not?" He wondered.

She blinked. "My father called me that and he left when I was fourteen."

Troy pursed his lips. "Ok. Understood."

"Sorry," she winced. " I didn't mean to sound harsh."

"You didn't." He assured. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry…"

Gabi smiled at his statement and went down to get some chips while they waited for dinner but it wasn't long before Jenna called them down to eat properly and they sat and ate in jilted silence, the night coming to an end once Troy had eaten half a tub of Neapolitan ice-cream with Gabi.

Gabi walked out onto the porch to say goodnight and frowned when she didn't see a ride waiting to take him home.

"My mom can drop you home if you want," she offered.

"I like to walk," he assured. "Gives me time to think."

"Okay, be careful."

He smiled and squinted at the same time. "You're not what I expected either."

"Oh," she sucked in a breath, wondering what he _had _expected.

"I mean, in a good way," he added right before he trotted down her steps and into the dark.

"_You are one big mystery, Troy Bolton_," Gabi murmured to herself as she turned back inside.

/

"So?" Kelsey pitched herself sideways into the locker next to Gabi's and looked at her expectantly.

"So, what?" Gabi frowned confusedly.

"So how did date night go?" Kelsey asked.

"It wasn't a date, it was homework…" Gabi amended.

"So how did it go?" Her friend asked again and Gabi sighed, lifting her heavy books up out of her locker and shutting the door with difficulty.

"It went fine. We did homework," Gabi supplied.

"That's all?" Kelsey looked disgusted.

"Look, Kels, just because you and Ryan use every study session to make out does not mean I am going to start sucking face with the school's basketball team captain," Gabi ranted as she swung left without looking and her heavy books came into contact with an unknowing student making progress through the throng in the hall.

Gabi gasped and quickly apologized, reaching her hand out to touch the shoulder of the afflicted; suddenly snatching it back as she realized it was Troy who was doubled over in pain.

"Oh, it's you," she sighed in relief and crouched to collect her books.

Troy looked up with an incredulous look. "Thanks," he derided.

"I just meant-" she began but his blue eyes met hers as he straightened and rubbed his pec, something that kind of distracted her, much to her annoyance.

"You just meant what?" He enquired lightly, his lips bearing the tiniest amused smile at her awkwardness.

"I just meant that I know you…a little bit…I thought I hit a total random who's not used to my accident-prone-ness but thankfully I didn't…that's all I meant…"

Troy pursed his lips and raised his brows and Gabi blushed at his superiority in this moment.

"Sorry." She added sheepishly.

He bent and picked up the last of her books- the heaviest one that put her off balance to start with. He checked the cover and smirked.

"I have Math, too." He supplied even though they both knew they took the same class.

"Right…" She held forth her hand to take back her wayward book but he merely tucked it under his arm.

"I might look like I'm actually interested if I take a text book in…" He conspired mischievously.

Gabi rolled her eyes and looked to her friend. "Looks like I have to walk with Troy to class, are you coming?" She asked Kelsey.

Kelsey smiled knowingly and looked between her friend and Troy. Troy, for his part, held out his hand towards the other girl.

"Hi, I'm Troy," he introduced.

Kelsey lifted her brows and shook his hand. "I know." She said in a tone that told him not to mess with her.

"Right…" He nodded and headed down the hall to his own locker.

"Wait, that's my-" Gabi sighed as he held her text book hostage on his little trip. "I'll see you in class," Gabi told her friend.

"Uh-huh…" Kelsey smirked.

Gabi rolled her eyes. "He has my book, what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. Go chase him," Kelsey offered and Gabi swiped her friend at her suggestive remark and trailed down the hall towards Troy.

She slowed when she saw Chad take a running jump at his friend; the basketball team member intimidating her just a little too much to approach.

"Hey, buddy," Chad greeted Troy and Troy squinted at his friend.

"Hey."

"So, look. The guys got together and we think you should still come to practice. We know you're not up to playing right now but you could be bench coach and still hang out…" The black boy offered, his braided hair tight against his scalp.

Troy cricked his neck uncomfortably. "I have to do the Science assignment…"

"So what? You have time…besides I thought you were paired with Swotty Montez, you got a free ride, buddy…"

Troy frowned at Chad's description of his lab partner. "That's what she said…" He murmured amusedly.

"See? That girl loves homework. So come hang with the boys," his friend insisted.

"I just need a time-out," Troy replied softly, swallowing. "I have to go…"

He ducked out from the confrontation with his friend to find Gabi waiting for him and he opened his mouth but nothing came out.

"Swotty Montez?" She repeated and he didn't know if she was insulted or not.

"I didn't say that," he argued gently. "Besides, you called me brainless…"

She pursed her lips and he liked the way her beautiful face frowned.

"Can I have my book back?" She wondered and he merely smiled and carried it all the way to class.


	3. Badass

Thank you for comments everybody, I love youuuuu!

**Chapter 3**

"So when's Troy coming over next?" Jenna asked with as little subtlety as a brick being thrown at her as Gabi walked through the door.

"Mom!" Gabi complained.

"What? He seems like a nice boy…he needs a haircut though…"

"Yeah, he asked me if you would do it," Gabi confided.

"Well why didn't you say something?"

"Because I told you, I do not want you embarrassing me," she sighed like a petulant teenager.

"Honey, you didn't tell me he was handsome," Jenna smiled at her daughter's grumpy face.

"Maybe because I don't think he is?" Gabi suggested and cast her bag down as she realized she wasn't going to get to her PC anytime soon.

Jenna gave her a look.

"What?" Gabi whined and rolled her eyes.

"If you like him you don't have to pretend…"

"Mom, Troy Bolton is like a god to most of East High. Unless you hadn't noticed, I didn't exactly fall down in the latest 'popular' shower. Therefore any suggestion that Troy and I would be anything but Lab partners is not only ridiculous but it's improbable, too."

Gabi folded her arms and sighed out. _So there._

Jenna's eyes twinkled as she took in her daughter's stance. "Well, I think he likes you," she added just for the record.

"Right," Gabi derided. "Like a little pet dog."

"No, Gabi," Jenna sighed and came over to hug her. "You are so beautiful, okay? More beautiful than those girls you feel you can't match up to."

"There's a reason why jocks and geeks don't mix." Gabi stated, even knowing Troy wasn't a jock anymore. "It just ends in tears. That'd be _my_ tears mom. Not his."

Jenna watched her daughter run up the stairs to her room and twisted her lips, wishing she knew what else to say. She decided to let nature run its course as she continued with dinner preparations. Something Gabi forgot all about as she logged online.

/

_BlueEyes: Are you there?_

Gabi lifted her head with a quick snap at the sound of her IM alert and winced as a pain went down her back. She rolled from her stomach and left her notebook on the bed as she lifted the laptop into her lap and typed.

TezzyG: I'm here. How are you?

_BlueEyes: You remember me, then._

TezzyG: Of course.

_BlueEyes: How's life in the Bronx?_

TezzyG: I don't live there anymore. But we're still downtown. Riding the bus sucks pretty bad.

Gabi shook her head. _What was she doing?_ She was supposed to be coaxing his problems out not talking about herself. She sighed and bit into her lower lip.

_BlueEyes: lol, chin up, bad-ass._

TezzyG: What's your home like?

_BlueEyes: It's nice. But don't think that doesn't make it suck still._

TezzyG: Why does it suck?

-pause-

Gabi sucked in a breath as she waited for a response and hoped one would come.

_BlueEyes: They fight a lot._

TezzyG: Your parents?

_BlueEyes: Yeah._

So he was young, too, she mused. Somehow that filled her with an excited knowledge. Her site was aimed at teenagers but sometimes the odd adult logged on, curious for her advice. But now she knew. And she had no idea about the inner workings of a teenage boy's mind but she made a mental note to grill Troy the next time she saw him so she could start to learn.

TezzyG: That _does_ suck. What do they fight about?

_BlueEyes: Everything. Stupid stuff. Like where I go to college._

TezzyG: Where do you want to go?

_BlueEyes: No-one ever asked me that before._

Gabi tilted her head in sympathy for the unknown boy sitting at home having to deal with his parents fighting so much that they had forgotten to talk to him.

TezzyG: Well, I'm asking…

_BlueEyes: I guess somewhere I can be artistic._

TezzyG: Where do they want you to go?

_BlueEyes: Dad wants me to pursue a sports scholarship…_

TezzyG: And your mom?

_BlueEyes: I think she wants to leave town and take me with her to Mexico._

TezzyG: Mexico? That's a long way…

_BlueEyes: We have family there._

TezzyG: That makes sense.

Another pause. Gabi rubbed her finger up and down the side of her keyboard to stop herself from rushing his reply.

_BlueEyes: Have you ever had anyone on here before who's parents ought to be divorced but weren't?_

TezzyG:

…

_BlueEyes has logged off. Any messages you send will be delivered when they log on._

…

_Damn!_ Gabi hit her duvet in frustration. Just as she was getting somewhere with her new customer! She didn't want him to go away thinking she didn't know how he felt or that no-one could help him, because she would, even if she hadn't been through the same life experience he had. Her father had taken a gun to a crack dealer for Christ's sake; she knew something about unconventional families. And she ached to share that with him even though she knew she shouldn't.

"Gabriella! Dinner!" Jenna called up the stairs to break her focus.

"Ok, coming!" She called back, knowing she was one step closer to helping her mysterious friend.

/

"So, Thursday?" Troy poured chemical into the glass votive on the Bunsen burner and watched; though he had no notebook and no intention of recording the results as Gabi sat and glared at him.

"Thursday what?" She snapped.

Troy lifted his brows and pursed his lips. "Are you angry at me _again_?"

"Not at all, whatever gave you that impression?" She remarked.

"The fact you're burning holes in me with those pretty chocolate eyes of yours…" He swifted back and she opened her mouth to respond, then snapped it shut as his compliment warmed her cheeks.

"Cat got your tongue?" He enquired cheekily and she hated him even more for playing her.

"Do you always use fake compliments to win people over, Troy?" She accused and he actually laughed. Loudly. So that every student in class turned to see the joke.

"You're funny," he complimented again. "But who said it was fake?"

One of his eyebrows rose as he asked and then he went back to adding chemicals to the boiling pot.

"That's Iodine-don't-" Gabi stood quickly and grasped his wrist to stop him pouring the liquid into the mix and she sighed out in relief as she stopped him in time.

She soon became aware of being in contact with him and swallowed, letting go of his arm.

"Sorry," she offered sheepishly.

"What happens when you add iodine?" He wondered but she suspected he knew very well what would happen.

"It would explode," she supplied primly.

His lips twitched. "Well, thank you for saving me."

"Are you sane?" Gabi wondered then, tilting her head.

He turned his lips down as he appeared to think and she didn't miss the mischievous glint in his eyes even under the lab glasses.

"Possibly not."

She made a face and sighed in frustration, continuing with her notes.

"You should just get some gloves and smack it out of me," he suggested and she ventured an even more concerned look his way, one that had him laughing again. "Your anger," he added in explanation.

Gabi flicked her eyes around the class and tried desperately not to look like she was trying to make Troy Bolton laugh or all kinds of hell might break loose.

"I'm not angry," she lied and sighed in defeat, knowing full well she was and she had no real reason to be.

"You are too…" He dangled a rubber glove in her face with a pair of forceps.

"Troy, stop it," she bent backwards to avoid the glove he was playfully parading.

"Grumpy Gabi…" He goaded, dangling it before it her eyes and Gabi swerved to avoid him again, this time over balancing on her stool as her arms flailed to keep her upright.

"Aieeek!" She shrieked right before he quickly darted to catch her, his strong arms surrounding her to keep her in place.

"Easy there, Montez," he teased with a warm, condescending tone.

Gabi felt the flutter of butterflies in her belly as his rich tones penetrated her ear and his muscled arm dug into her back.

"Let go of me." She stated through clenched teeth.

"Why?" He wondered amusedly as the class began to look on.

"Let go of me Bolton, or you _will _die," she warned and he shrugged and unceremoniously let go where she wobbled and then gasped for the table edge to keep her balance.

"Nothing to see," he told the onlookers who watched them with interest and the class soon went back to their less interesting experiments while Gabi continued to glare at him and burn holes in his head.

"Why did you do that?" She demanded, feeling embarrassed and shaken by the whole incident.

He looked at her and pursed his lips, blinking his eyes down. "Sorry I thought it was fun." He said it almost accusingly, picking up his discarded rubber glove contraption and dancing it before his own eyes and this time, she couldn't help the giggle that broke her lips.

He looked over at her and smiled; two seconds of a shared moment passing before Mr. Miller intercepted his toy.

"Forceps are not intended to be used as toys Mr. Bolton," the teacher stated and Troy gave him a grave look.

"Sorry, sir."

"You would do well to remember your F and actually help Gabi with this project…" He chided to which Troy bowed his head.

"Yes, sir."

As Mr. Miller walked away, Gabi ventured a look at him through her glasses.

"An F is not the end of the world," she offered on seeing his defeated look.

He looked up and held her gaze for a moment. Right before the bell went.

/

"I'm also failing in Math," Troy shared as he brushed his arm against Gabi's as they left Lab for their next lessons.

As they walked down the hall, it would look like Troy was interested in her; because that's what the guys did when they wanted to ask you out in East High. They rubbed your side and played 'attack'. Gabi swallowed and made space between them, not wanting anyone to think that about the both of them as they carried on walking.

"I'm sorry," she offered, not sure what else to say.

Troy's arm brushed hers again.

"Would you help me?"

She stopped and pursed her lips. So the rubbing was to sweeten her up? He really didn't have any interest in her but he thought if she might believe he did, then she would tutor him?

"If you think that by pretending to like me it means I will fall for your little act and help you, then you have another thing coming," she told him honestly. "You'll have to do better than that," she finished as she stalked off, leaving Troy astounded.

"You better not be playing my best friend," Kelsey appeared from nowhere and budged him and he scattered on his feet.

"I'm not," he promised with a distracted frown at Gabi's exit.

"I saw you. Don't underestimate her;" she added as she too followed Gabi's path and he scratched a hand through his hair as he contemplated the turn of events.

They thought he was playing her. How ironic. Little did either of them know that Gabi was his lifeline right now. He gave a little irked lip curl as he accepted their reticence to trust his intentions. He'd have to work on that, he realized. He'd have to work to get her to trust him.

His lips curled up in satisfaction. He could manage that.

/

Troy Bolton was not the same happy, cheeky boy Gabi assumed him to be behind closed doors.

Once he got home, he slung his bag down off his shoulder and crept towards the stairs, listening out for any signal that his parents might be home.

"Troy?" His mother called and he let out a defeated sigh, his shoulders drooping.

"Hi, mom," he pasted on his best fake smile as she came into the hallway from the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" She asked with concern and he gave a tight smile.

"Fine."

"How's the Science project coming?"

"I'm going to Gabi's tomorrow," he supplied.

"Oh, well why don't you invite her over here?" His mom enquired as though everything were perfectly set in the Bolton Household.

He looked at her flatly.

"So she can hear you and dad going at it?" He wondered in return and Mia Bolton looked affronted.

"I know your father and I are going through a bad patch but-"

"Mom. She's not coming here." He interrupted her.

"Right. I see." She folded her arms, apparently hurt at his statement.

"I'm going to my room to do homework."

"Okay, then…" Mrs. Bolton watched him go with a frown but he quickly scooted into his computer-table seat and loaded his machine up.

"_Come on, come on…_" He whispered in silent frustration.

…

Inbox 0

…

So, the mysterious Terri hadn't left him any messages, he mused. But was she online?

He clicked open his IM account and pressed his lips in, letting out a relieved sigh as he saw the green square around her name. He began to type.

_BlueEyes: Do you ever go offline?_


	4. Worth Smiling About

So sorry for the delay people, I have my laptop back but it's not in a good state :(

Quick shout out to Hisboo13 & The Amy Johnson for messaging me and there have been plenty others who have also sent me lovely messages which I really appreciate!

**Chapter 4**

Gabi smiled into the morning breeze; actually having something worth smiling about today. All thoughts of the despicable Troy Bolton were wiped from her mind as she recalled her web chat with the unknown- but increasingly interesting- _BlueEyes_.

He'd started the chat by asking her if she ever went offline and she smiled wryly to herself as she remembered admitting to him that she didn't.

**FLASHBACK**

_BlueEyes: Do you ever go offline?_

TezzyG: No.

TezzyG: It's my downfall.

_BlueEyes: You have a public to serve._

TezzyG: And an addiction to feed.

_BlueEyes: So it really is a downfall…_

TezzyG: But I'm here to help, I justify my addiction with a selfless deed.

_BlueEyes: lol, I like your style._

TezzyG: That would be a first.

_BlueEyes: You sound jaded tonight._

TezzyG: I'm sorry, I'm being unprofessional :/

_BlueEyes: No, I like it. I like talking to you._

TezzyG: :) Then I'll break a few more rules! Jk.

_BlueEyes: Can I see a picture of you?_

TezzyG: You wouldn't want to. But I can't, anyway.

_BlueEyes: Tell me what you look like?_

TezzyG: Are you some internet perv?

_BlueEyes: I haven't got to the part where I ask what underwear you have on, don't freak out on me yet…_

TezzyG: Are you okay?

_BlueEyes: You had to ask THAT question didn't you?_

TezzyG: It's kind of my job to…

_BlueEyes: So I'll never know what underwear you have on?_

TezzyG: I'm signing off now.

_BlueEyes: No wait…_

…

_TezzyG has logged off. Any messages you send will be delivered when they log on._

…

TezzyG has logged in.

…

TezzyG: Ok, tell me you were joking.

_BlueEyes: I was. Badly._

TezzyG: Tell me about your day?

After that, BlueEyes had talked to her a little more without revealing anything that she

could identify him by, but this morning she felt like there might have been some kind of breakthrough. And that made her feel stronger, somehow. Like she could take on the world and not be beaten. Like she could-

"Hey."

Troy Bolton, in all his tall, lean, attractiveness blocked her path into school.

She rolled her eyes up and smirked. "Hi."

"So yesterday I feel like you got the wrong idea about me…"

_Jeez, he was brave_, she mused silently with a brow arch.

"The wrong idea?" She repeated, waiting for him to explain.

"I wasn't…y'know…trying to…woo you or anything…"

_Damn_. Why did her heart sink into her toes, she wondered?

"You weren't?"

"No, honestly I was just trying to ask for help and going completely the wrong way about it…"

"Yup," she agreed shortly.

He peered through his fringe. "So will you? Help me?" He appealed.

Gabi swallowed. Now that she was onto a consistent communication with _BlueEyes_, she didn't want to risk spending too much time away from her PC and possibly losing that rapport. But she had a weakness for boys with brown hair and blue eyes so she couldn't refuse, either.

"Maybe." She allowed for now.

"Maybe?" He repeated, and then slowly smiled. "Cool."

"That's not a yes," she warned as he turned to walk away.

"It's not a no!" He called back jovially, leaving her fuming once more.

/

After Kelsey and Ryan had quizzed her on every detail of her new friendship with Troy, Gabi was allowed to eat lunch.

She ventured small, subtle looks over the heads of her schoolmates to track the basketball team as they ate and chattered with the cheerleaders about three tables over.

Troy was wearing a black hoodie, his shoulders hunched as he read something that he had flat on the table but the rest of the team seemed boisterous; hyper even. And the girls in short skirts with pom-poms followed suit.

Gabi quite liked the back view of Troy. She could imagine how wide his shoulders were and how muscled he was under that hoodie but she also knew it was fruitless to imagine. She let out a little sigh as she came back to earth from her daydream; only to find her two friends holding in obvious giggles.

"What?" She blushed.

"That was a love-sick sigh," Ryan accused.

"It was not," Gabi frowned.

"What happened to bowling?" Kelsey asked pointedly tilting her head.

"I told you, I had stomach ache," Gabi lied, knowing she had blown off her friend's offer last weekend so she could avoid the awkwardness of being gooseberry.

"Uh-huh," Kelsey gave her one of her famous looks.

"I was at home, okay," Gabi reinforced.

"But you do like him, right?" She asked of Troy.

"No! God no," Gabi denied vehemently.

"Why do you deny the obvious, Gabs?" Kelsey wondered.

"I'm not! He's just…I'm just…"

Both her friends stared at her while she tried to fathom a reasonable excuse.

"I'm his tutor, okay?" She spat, knowing this wasn't an entire lie.

"What?" Ryan frowned.

"I'm tutoring him for Math and Science. That's all."

"You're his tutor?" Kelsey repeated.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine," Gabi sighed.

"Let's ask him…" Kelsey suggested as Troy sauntered by their table. "Troy!"

"Kelsey don't you dare…" Gabi hissed across the table at her best friend, then folded her arms on the table and groaned into them as Troy approached. At least this way she could pretend the ground had opened up and swallowed her, she mused.

"Hi, Troy…" She heard her friend say.

"Hey, how's it going?" Troy asked back politely, but Gabi could hear his slightly confused tone at being called over. "Hey, Gabi," he added and she nodded into her arms.

"Is she ok?" She heard him ask her friends.

"Headache," Ryan supplied and Gabi screamed into her arms and stomped her feet, leaving all three of her friends frowning at her.

"Are you sure?" Troy asked.

"She's fine…"

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you something," Kelsey smoothly began and Troy's attention was drawn from the hiding Filipino back to the girl who was speaking.

"Okay…"

"I heard you were getting some tutoring," Kelsey broached. "Is that right?"

Troy frowned. "Uh…"

"From Gabi…" Kelsey added and Gabi started to bang her head on the table while still covering her face.

"Hey…" Troy reached out with a concerned frown and gently lay his hand on the back of her head, distracted from Kelsey's questions. "Are you sure she's okay?" He checked with her friends.

Gabi jerked her head up and smiled grimly. "I'm fine." She told them all before she climbed from the bench and walked right out of the cafeteria, her chin jutted high.

"What's this about?" Troy asked Kelsey honestly.

"Oh, nothing." Kelsey smiled sweetly and he looked at them both before he turned to leave.

"That was evil," Ryan told his girlfriend with a sigh.

"She was lying!" Kelsey argued. "She needed punishing."

"There was no need to get Troy involved…"

"Wasn't there?" Kelsey turned to him and smiled knowingly.

/

"Gabi, wait up!" Troy gave a slow jog down the hall until he caught her up and when he did he saw her sigh and swallow before she looked up.

"Why are you following me?"

"Because I'm worried about you…you banged your head back there…" His face creased with concern and she nearly believed he cared. Nearly.

"Swotty Montez in brain-bashing shocker," she quipped with an eye roll.

"Hey, you know I don't think of you like that," he argued.

"No? Then how do you think of me?" She arched a brow for his offering but there was none coming.

"Nothing. Awesome," she turned and walked away again.

"Hey, wait…" he called again as she scurried off but she didn't and he didn't follow her. Not this time.

/

"So what shall I make for yours and Troy's study dinner tomorrow?" Jenna wondered excitedly as Gabi came in and threw her books flat to the floor, creating a rather loud impact that frightened Jenna half to death.

"What happened?" She asked her only child.

"Kelsey thinks I fancy Troy." Gabi complained, then, "And she asked him today if I was his tutor…she asked him! Like just because I said I was and she didn't believe me, she asked him…and I told Troy that _maybe_ I would be…but_ I_ don't know why he keeps talking to me he just does, you know? So why is my best friend treating me like a liar? What am I meant to say? It's not like we're _dating_ or anything…It's not like I'm lying about us…but she thinks I am…she thinks I'm hiding something…"

Jenna lifted her brows as she wiped her hands on the hand towel and waited for Gabi to finish venting.

"Honey, _are_ you hiding anything?" Jenna ventured, only to be pierced by Gabi's dark gaze.

"No! I wouldn't do that! I just didn't know what to say. I don't like that he follows me around and talks to me all the time you know…"

"You don't?" Jenna frowned, thinking _she_ would like it if a cute guy followed her around and talked to _her _all the time.

"Not when he might be playing a game," Gabi pointed out.

"Oh honey, why would he be playing a game like that?" Jenna cooed.

"Because he's a boy, mom. And boys play very strange games in case you didn't know."

"The kind of boy that plays games like that are not the kind to come home and meet your mom…" She hedged very gently as Gabi calmed down and picked up her books.

"I suppose you're right," Gabi sighed as she sank into a kitchen stool and prolonged her trip upstairs for the first time in a long time by choice.

"Tell me why you feel like he would do that to you?" Jenna encouraged.

"Because his friends call me Swotty Montez," she mumbled under her breath.

"His friends call you _what_?" Jenna gasped.

Gabi rolled her eyes. "Because I study a lot."

"Well, you do study a lot," Jenna agreed, then cleared her throat as she got the death stare. "But there's no need for names like that…"

"They _are _jocks…" Gabi broached.

"He asked me to tutor him," Gabi added. "And I just don't know that I can trust him. Yet."

Jenna nodded. "Seems to me that something has changed in Troy's world…"

"Do you think so?" Gabi looked up hopefully.

Jenna nodded. "Why don't you talk to him and find out." She suggested.

"How?" Gabi made a face.

"Just ask him. I promise I won't interrupt you all night," Jenna added with a wink.

"Except for dinner," Gabi added.

"Except for dinner," her mom confirmed.

And that left Gabi with a little more hope than she had felt coming in the house. More hope than she'd felt in a while.

/

_BlueEyes: Do you ever take a break?_

Gabi looked up at the sound of her IM alarm. An instant smile crossed her lips.

TezzyG: Sure, I'm studying right now.

_BlueEyes: That's not really a break…_

TezzyG: Then what do you suggest, blue eyes?

_BlueEyes: Do you ever go out on a date?_

TezzyG: Not so much…

_BlueEyes: Bowling with friends?_

TezzyG: I flaked on the last invite.

_BlueEyes: Go this weekend. I dare you_.

TezzyG: Alone?

_BlueEyes: ~eye roll~ with your friends, dummy._

TezzyG: Yes, sir.

_BlueEyes: I like it :D_

TezzyG: Don't be a perv.

_BlueEyes: *sigh*_

TezzyG: You're gonna have to face facts sometime…

_BlueEyes: You're gonna ask me how I am, right?_

TezzyG: Yep.

_BlueEyes: and if I say I don't want to talk about it?_

TezzyG: You came here to talk about it. You just need a kick up the backside.

_BlueEyes: Is that what you're meant to say?_

TezzyG: No, but is it working?

-pause-

_BlueEyes: My mom asked me to invite a girl home last night._

TezzyG: Your girlfriend?

Gabi sucked in a breath as she waited for an answer. Somehow, she didn't want the answer to be yes.

_BlueEyes: Just a friend._

TezzyG: Then why don't you?

_BlueEyes: Because most of the time she and my father are screaming at each other. How is anyone gonna understand that?_

TezzyG: She might, if you tell her…

_BlueEyes: I already feel like I'm boiling myself alive by telling you about it let alone anyone I know_…

TezzyG: Okay, then what are you afraid of?

_BlueEyes: Anyone being made to feel the way I do._

Gabi waited for the 'logged off' message to come up but it didn't and she silently applauded her stranger for staying online this time.

TezzyG: Maybe she cares about you enough to ignore it.

_BlueEyes: No-one could ignore it…_

TezzyG: You don't have much faith in people do you?

_BlueEyes: I want this girl to like me. Not send her running._

Gabi smiled. _So he was out to impress…_

TezzyG: Okay, but how do you know she will?

_BlueEyes: …good question…_

TezzyG: Has she asked you round to her house yet?

_BlueEyes: Yeah, her family are cool. Unlike mine._

TezzyG: Did you have fun?

_BlueEyes: Well, we were studying._

Gabi frowned. _No, it couldn't be._

TezzyG: Studying can be fun too…

_BlueEyes: I don't think she likes me. At least that's the impression I get…_

TezzyG: Invite her over. If she doesn't like you then she'll find an excuse not to go.

_BlueEyes: That's terrible advice!_

Gabi felt tears hit her eyes at his accusation.

TezzyG: I'm sorry you feel that way. Goodnight.

_BlueEyes: Don't do this to me again…_

TezzyG: Do what?

_BlueEyes: Log off because I upset you…_

TezzyG: You didn't upset me. I just feel I can't help you any more.

_BlueEyes: OK, goodnight, then._

…

_BlueEyes has logged off. Any messages you send will be delivered when they log on._

…

Gabi stared at the screen and felt a sharp pain of failure stab through her chest at her first failed counseling session. She'd never had anyone tell her before that she was terrible at giving advice, that really stung. But she didn't know what to do about it, either.

Maybe she shouldn't have been so hasty and run away like that but her self-preservation kicked in and told her to shut up shop and go back to something she knew only too well- studying.

So she closed down her web browser and went offline to concentrate on her books and her books alone.

If only it worked.

/


	5. Haircut

Thank you for sticking around people and thank you for your wonderful reviews!

**Chapter 5**

"So, Troy…" Jenna asked the scruffy teenager that sat behind her on the kitchen stool. "Do you want me to trim your hair?" She turned to show dinner could wait a while.

Troy looked up through his fringe. "Uh, yeah…that'd be awesome," he ventured, sitting awkwardly while they both waited for Gabi to come down from changing.

She had splashed ragu sauce down her school clothes and gone to get changed what seemed like an hour ago, but he was sure was only a few short minutes.

"Okay, up you get…" She steered him to a shorter chair and whipped out her hairdressers cape to cover him with and she couldn't help her smile as he fidgeted once covered by the silky material.

"Just…don't take too much off okay?" He looked up under his disguising bangs and begged and she assured him gently that she would just trim his fringe.

"Mom, no…" Gabi came in behind them both and groaned in shame.

"Shush, honey," Jenna clucked her tongue. "It's just a trim."

"This is so embarrassing…" Gabi huffed and sat on a stool.

"Hey, come tell me how much to have off…" Troy called over his shoulder and Gabi trailed over to sit closer by him; her hair all pulled into a high bun and her clothes changed from structured cotton to soft jersey pants and a t-shirt.

"I know, I look ugly," she sulked as his eyes flicked over her and he opened his mouth to oppose her statement, but Jenna squirted him in the face with her spray to dampen his fringe.

"Nice," he grumbled as Gabi leaned on the back of her chair to watch him, her giggle sneaking out.

"Okay just a smidgen…" Jenna took off the very ends of his fringe that dangled in his eyes and then cut into the sharp edges to soften them.

"That's plenty," he assured nervously.

"What about the back?" He felt her fingers run through the mane he called his hair.

"Maybe a little," he allowed.

"Hmm…" Jenna considered her options and then had an idea as she began cutting into the thick layer of hair at the back of his head as Gabi watched on with interest.

"Mom please don't make him look like a dork. Because then everyone will know you're my mom that made him look like a dork…"

"Gabi," Jenna chided as she finished the last snip of Troy's hair and quickly pulled out her dryer to rough-dry it for him.

When she was done she picked up her curved mirror and showed him the back while Gabi sat and gaped at the new Troy Bolton.

"Wow, mom…" She commended.

"Does he look like a dork?" Jenna asked pointedly as Troy ran his fingers through the short, cropped back of his cut, then tousled the longer fringe.

"Nuh-uh," Gabi shook her head, mesmerized.

"Good. I have dinner to finish…" She flapped out the cape and left the two of them alone to clean up.

Gabi grabbed the broom and instantly began sweeping while Troy appreciated his mirror image.

"Do I look sexy?" He asked her and Gabi froze.

"What?"

"Do I look sexy? You know…sexy?" He repeated as if she were an alien.

"How would I know?" She rolled her eyes in annoyance as she bent to sweep the hair into a dustpan.

"Oh, here," he quickly stood to open the bin bag for her to empty the contents.

She stood up and swallowed as he rose in front of her, tall and imposing.

"I guess you do," she offered timidly.

"You guess?" His brows rose. "I'll not wait for all those offers to the Summer Ball then…" he teased.

"The summer ball?" Gabi frowned, wondering why nothing he said made any sense. Was it just because his beautiful neck had been bared? Was it those eyes that now had nothing to hide under?

"Yeah, didn't you know about it?" He asked, puzzled.

"No…" She frowned still, then tried to snap out of her daze.

"You should go. The theme is Super heroes. When you buy your ticket, it tells you what superhero to come dressed as on the back…"

"You're kidding me?" She gaped. "You could end up with anything!"

"Yeah, awesome huh?" He asked and she girlishly rubbed her arm.

"I guess so…"

Jenna called out that dinner was ready but before they both turned their attention to the meal, Troy reached out and touched Gabi's arm.

"Hey, what you said earlier…about looking ugly…" He licked his lips. "Well, you don't. You should know that."

Gabi tilted her face up and raised her brows, not sure what to say. For some reason her lips throbbed at being in close proximity to his as though she wanted to kiss him and she felt irked at that urge.

"Thank you, I guess," she finally spoke before dinner called their names again.

/

"Okay so we'll go up to the quarry on Saturday and get the samples and take them into Lab on Monday to test…" Troy scribbled down his notes for the project and Gabi chewed the end of her pencil, remembering _BlueEyes_' words.

"I'm going bowling Saturday."

"What all day?" He gave her a look and she blushed and looked down.

"What time you going bowling?" He wondered lightly.

She shrugged. "Haven't organized it yet."

"Say six?" He asked and she looked up at him and frowned.

"So we can plan the outing…" He added at her confused look and she swallowed in disappointment, thinking for one second there he was about to ask her out.

"Oh, sure," she smiled wanly. "Yeah, six."

"Good, meet me at the quarry at two and I'll bring lunch," he offered to which she looked surprised.

"I figured it's my turn to provide a meal," he explained and she nodded.

He cleared his throat. "Hey what's with you tonight? You seem kinda…"

"Kind of what, Troy?" She asked.

"Kinda distracted," he described.

Gabi took a deep breath in and let it out, wondering how much to tell him of her double life. She decided she couldn't trust him enough yet to tell him anything, so she did what she was getting good at- she lied.

"I…have some things on my mind." She remarked.

"What things?" He asked directly.

Gabi tilted her head and licked her lips. "How come you always talk to me now?" She asked outright, surprising him.

It was his turn to shrug. "Because."

"That's not an answer, Troy," she pushed.

"Okay, okay," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, rolling up to stand where she watched him prowl her room, a sight she quite liked she admitted inwardly.

"Is it that hard to think of an answer?" She wondered as he continued to pace.

He looked up. "No, it's really simple. I'm just not good with words."

Gabi rolled off the bed, too and came to stand in front of him. She felt completely bare with no make-up and maybe even a little intimidated but she prayed that the next words out of his mouth were genuine and that his delay was not to think up a lie.

"Just try," she said softly, her creased face begging with him.

"You're the only one who understands," he ventured, wincing as he realized how cheesy he sounded. "No, not that…just…"

Gabi took a breath and reached out for his hand, pressing her thumb into his palm as she silently tried to comfort him.

"Understands what?"

"You're the only one who doesn't know me…" He began again. "So you don't talk about basketball or how badly I failed Math…"

She tilted her head and pressed her lips together.

"You just take me at face value and you call me on my bullshit," he continued.

"So you talk to me because I'm horrible to you?" She bemused and he couldn't help but chuckle at her deduction.

"Yeah, pretty much," he conceded, smiling at her boyishly.

Gabi dropped his hand and frowned. "How come you don't want to talk about basketball and failing?"

Even by asking she was treading the ground he didn't want to tread but that was the whole point, he mused. That he could tell her the things he couldn't tell anyone else.

"Because I told you, I'm not a jock anymore. I can't even think about that stuff right now…and failing?" He rolled his eyes. "I don't need another reason for my parents to-"

He swallowed, almost revealing his secret.

"…to ground me," he quickly finished with a lie.

She smirked at this as she turned back to the bed and crawled across it to her previous position. "Are you _always_ in trouble?"

Troy watched her as she went, surprised at her switch between sensitivity and normal-ness.

"Not always," he assured.

"Somehow I don't believe you," she teased with a knowing glint in her eye.

He came back over and did a superman jump onto the mattress, making her giggle.

"I'm well-behaved," he rolled over and grinned.

"Sure you are," Gabi nodded with a smile.

"Hey, thank you though. For helping me," he said then.

"You're welcome," she replied.

"So it's a yes then," he grinned, knowing she couldn't go back on her word.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a yes."

"Yesss!" He pumped a victory fist and quickly settled back to study under her watchful eye.

/

Troy was right. The tickets to the Summer Ball were already on sale and the students of East high were yapping excitedly about their costumes already.

Gabi slumped down into her lunch seat and looked to her two friends.

"Have you got your tickets for the ball?" She wondered.

"Sleeping Beauty," Kelsey held up hers.

"Man in Black," Ryan quipped back and Gabi frowned.

"Sleeping beauty wasn't a hero…"

Kelsey shrugged. "Oh, well…"

"How come everyone has a ticket but me?" Gabi pouted.

"Because you're single?" Kelsey pointed out gently and the darker girl sighed.

"Thanks for reminding me. So can we go bowling Saturday? I want to make up for bailing last time…"

Kelsey lifted her brows. "Why don't you ask Troy?"

"Ask Troy what?" The annoying hulk of ex-jock asked from behind Gabi; standing so close she could feel his clothes touch her back.

"Gabi…" Kelsey led and Gabi swallowed and smiled tightly.

"Ask if you have a pen I can borrow for next period," she quipped and her friend coughed loudly as Troy looked puzzled and handed over a pen.

"And…" Kelsey led and Gabi clenched her teeth and glared at her friend, then turned back to Troy.

"And…" Gabi cleared her throat.

"And?" Troy repeated all the while Gabi's cheeks flared.

"And do you want to come bowling with us on Saturday?" Gabi spat, sighing as she said the words at least, then tensed at his response.

"Well, just Gabi, really," Kelsey added. "Ryan and I are busy…"

Gabi gave her friend another death glare and Kelsey ran off with a giggle, dragging Ryan by the hand behind her, leaving Troy to slide into the seat opposite while Gabi played with the lettuce leaf on her plate and avoided eye contact.

"Do you really want me to go bowling with you?" He asked and Gabi looked up, wondering why he didn't trust her. Probably Kelsey's stupid fake set up, she mused.

Gabi licked her lips and swallowed, darting looks around them to see who might be listening to her answer. Assured that no-one was spying on them, she flicked her eyes up to his.

"Maybe."

His mouth split into an amused smile as he let out a breath.

"Wow, that's an offer I can't refuse…"

She frowned at his teasing and felt her cheeks burn red.

"I'd love to go," he answered properly, surprising her. What surprised her even more was that when she looked into his eyes, she could tell he was telling the truth.

"Oh. Ok," she nodded.

"This really isn't how a date invitation should go…" He commented lightly and she opened her mouth to protest.

"Date invitation?" A voice beside them repeated and Gabi closed her eyes as the familiar tone of Chad Danforth rang out. "Swotty Montez on a date with my man Troy Bolton?"

Chad sniggered into his hand and Gabi twisted her lips and rose from the table.

"Grow up, you moron," she told the black boy before she shouldered past him to rejoin her friends.

"Thanks, Chad," Troy sighed as he leaned back and sprawled in his seat, watching Gabi go.

"She's a throw back from the 50's dude, why would you want to tap that?" Chad sat opposite him in Gabi's empty seat and sucked his teeth.

Troy grimaced. "I happen to like her style." He said.

"Oh, dude…" Chad began to grin and then it faded as Troy's blue eyes turned to ice.

Chad got the silent message and pressed his lips together. "Okay, I'm sorry…" he offered and Troy sighed.

"Yeah, so am I…" He said as he got up and loped away.

/

"Well, how did it go?" Kelsey asked Gabi as Gabi sat beside her in Math.

Gabi glared at her. "You are going to die Kelsey Anne Nielson, do you know that?"

Kelsey put on an innocent smile. "He said yes, then?"

"He said yes," Gabi conceded, hiding her face.

"Stop doing that," Kelsey tsk'ed. "You have to face the world one day Gabriella Montez."

"Don't call me that," Gabi squinted at her friend.

"Sorry. I forgot," Kelsey apologized sincerely.

"Ok so I got a date, now what?" Gabi looked up from her arms and Kelsey smiled at her softly.

"You have to drop that chignon for a start…" Kelsey advised and Gabi rolled her eyes while her friend continued. "…And put in your contacts so he can see those beautiful eyes you have…and wear something other than a 50's housewife-dress."

Gabi stared at her friend. "Remind me why I like you?"

"Because you know I'm right."

Gabi sighed. "Okay, I'll go shopping…"

"Good. Now thank me for my excellent match-making skills…" Kelsey teased to which Gabi swiped her.


	6. The Quarry

**Chapter 6**

Down at the quarry, Troy watched Gabi at work in her blue overalls- way too big for her and rolled at the arms and legs cutely. She had on her lab goggles and her hair was tied up in a triangle scarf with curls piled up high on her head, a look he hadn't seen before on her. Underneath the overalls he knew she had on some cropped Capri pants in white and a dobby shirt that scooped prettily at her neck and he had felt like he was travelling back fifty years when they had met.

And then she had stepped into the overalls he had brought and somehow endeared herself to him even more.

"What are you staring at?" She snapped him out of his reverie and he smirked at her tone.

"You in those overalls," he replied honestly, editing his attraction to her.

"Why, do I look silly?" She looked down herself as he came closer.

"No, just beautiful," he smiled in satisfaction as he crouched to take a sample of the earth.

Gabi stood and frowned, wondering if he had actually said that or if she had misheard. She went on the basis she must have misheard.

"So we have two samples of earth here and we need two more down by the plant and two from the river…" She narrated of their next tasks.

Troy looked up to her with an amused look.

"What time is your curfew?" He asked of their outing later to the bowling alley.

"Midnight," Gabi blushed, wondering if this was early.

Troy's slow smile told her it was good enough. "Time to make trouble," he teased.

"I thought you were always grounded?" She lifted a brow in challenge and he blinked.

"Yeah." Was all he said on that subject.

"So am I meeting you at the alley?" Gabi wondered of their travelling plans.

"I might be able to steal the truck…" Troy offered.

"Then you really will be grounded," she mused.

"It'd be worth it," he lifted one shoulder and gave her his best twinkled look.

"Right," she nodded, not falling for his charm.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that, Gabriella?" He wondered and she stiffened at the use of her full name.

"I told you not to call me that," she packed up her samples and walked down the quarry wall towards the detergent plant.

"Hey…" He called and hastened after her. "I'm sorry okay…I'm sorry."

Gabi looked round at him, her big brown eyes sad beneath her lenses.

"I just don't get how he left like that, sometimes," she sighed, sharing her thoughts.

Troy tensed at the familiar subject of failing parents.

"Better he left than stayed and made your life hell…"

Gabi looked up, surprised.

"I mean, I'm just saying…" Troy cleared his throat with a blush.

"What's your mom and dad like?" Gabi enquired naturally and he hoped she wouldn't ever ask him that.

"My mom said you could come over to study one time. If you wanted." He offered by way of response to her question and she watched him while she tried to work him out. But she knew better than to push.

"I'd like that." She admitted and it was his turn to look surprised.

"Maybe tomorrow? We could write up the notes from today…" He suggested and she actually smiled at him, making him suspicious.

"Troy, seriously?" She said and he frowned. "All weekend?" She added and he understood her amusement.

"Oh right, sorry," he nodded, thinking he'd take spending his weekend with her over spending it at home with his warring parents any day.

Gabi lifted her brows as they came to a stop by the detergent plant. "Did you really want to meet up?" She wondered, concerned.

"Nah, of course not," he fronted it out. "Chad will probably come round to shoot hoops anyway…"

"Oh, him," Gabi smirked as she went about taking another sample.

"Yeah, he can be an ass," Troy agreed with her reticence.

"Hmmm," she agreed non-comitally, making him smile.

"Say what you really think, Gabi," he encouraged and she stood and looked into his face.

"I have nothing to say about Chad Danforth," she promised sweetly.

"Look, he just doesn't know you," Troy defended lightly. "If he did…"

"If he did, he'd think I was even bigger dork," Gabi finished for him.

"Do you really care what he thinks?" Troy challenged as they made their way down to the river and Gabi was pleased she was wearing wellies as she stepped up to the slow-flowing stream.

"Here," Troy jumped into the stream with a splash and offered his hand out to her.

"Nice jump," she pursed her lips and met his gaze; taking his hand as she too stepped down.

"Don't fall now…." Troy grasped her around the waist and bent her right back so that she screamed out loud in fear.

"Don't do that!" She gasped as he let her up and she batted at his muscled arms until he let go of her.

He stood and pouted with a barely hidden grin until she recomposed herself.

"It's not funny," she chided.

"It is a little bit," he held out his thumb and finger to measure.

Gabi sulked on and he couldn't help his mischievous streak- the one that made him grab her around the middle and tip her backwards again, dangling her head toward the water as she screamed in protest and hit his arms.

"Troy stop doing that!" She protested at his wicked side, her breaths light and shallow at her second fright.

"You can't swim," he guessed quickly, amusement alight in his eyes as she grasped his arms to steady herself and she hadn't let go yet.

"I can swim," she counter-acted. "I just don't like being scared half to death."

"Well, I'm sorry," he apologized with a warm voice as she pouted. "I didn't meant to scare you."

"Yes you did," she pointed her stare at him.

"Did you get tickets yet?" He asked of the Summer ball, randomly, leaving her struggling to keep up.

"Not yet," she answered. "Did you?"

"Yep."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And what's your superhero?" she asked.

"That would be telling," he smiled as he helped her out of the water.

Gabi rolled her eyes. "Why the big secret?"

"Maybe I wanna surprise some people," he shrugged.

"Fine. But don't expect me to tell you mine," she smirked and he squinted at her.

"Meanie."

She gaped at his double standard until he melted into a grin.

"I'm kidding," he added just in case she didn't guess already.

"Funny, Bolton. Real funny," she mumbled as they walked on.

/

"Honey, you look amazing…" Jenna watched her daughter pirouette with tears in her eyes.

"Really, mom?" Gabi bit into her lower lip and looked down on the white Grease-style summer dress that had a layered skirt, fitted bodice and halter-neck and wondered if it wasn't just a little too…fitted.

"Really," Jenna awed as Gabi slipped into white ballet shoes and checked her perfectly curled hair; pinned at the top of her head with a clip.

"Well it's only Troy…" She tried to play this moment down.

"I'm glad you two are finally going out," Jenna assured. "Just be back by midnight."

"I know," Gabi rolled her eyes. "I told him already."

"Honey, have fun," Jenna said before Gabi went to answer the knock at the door.

"Okay," she nodded; her child-like vulnerability showing through her grown-up image and making Jenna want to cry even more.

Gabi opened the door to find her date wiping his palms nervously down the front of his jeans; his red and black checked shirt and turned up jeans showing her he had made a real effort to match in with her style tonight.

She opened her mouth in awe at his compliment and no words came out.

"Hey, you look amazing," he copied Jenna's phrase.

"I…you…" She swallowed nervously and took a deep breath.

"That dress is…" He twisted his neck, taking a good look at her which only made her even more uneasy.

"Thank y-"

"And your hair," he interrupted, his eyes sparkling. "Your hair looks good, too."

"Right…" She rolled her eyes up and then he frowned.

"Where are your glasses?"

"They're inside," she lifted her chin to gesture. "I have contacts in."

"Oh," he nodded, the downturn of his lips showing he was disappointed.

"You wanted me to wear them?" She wondered.

"Uh…no…just…"

He was making about as much sense as her and she wondered if tonight was such a good idea if it changed them both so dramatically.

"Can we go now?" She checked and he nodded and looked awkward for a moment.

Should he offer her his hand, he wondered? Or his elbow? What would Gabi most likely prefer? He frowned as he tried to work it out.

"Are you having second thoughts?" She wondered of his hesitancy.

"No, not at all," she gave him the perfect opening to offer his elbow and surprisingly, she took it as he led her to the truck.

"You'll get in trouble for taking it," she warned him and he smirked.

"Yep."

"Don't you care?"

He sighed. "I doubt they'll even notice," he admitted softly once they were inside the car and he remembered Terri's advice to him to try and open up to the girl he considered his closest friend right now.

"Are they busy?" She asked lightly as she belted herself in.

"Busy fighting," he mused and swallowed down any more words before they could make their way out.

"Are they divorced?" She wondered then.

"Should be," he decided. "Unluckily for me, they're not."

Gabi waited until they got inside the alley to ask another question.

"Do they know you're failing class?" She wondered.

As they paid for their session and queued for shoes, Troy looked down on her.

"They fought about that, too," he shared then ordered her shoes first before ordering his and she blushed as he handed hers over.

"They don't go with my dress," she smiled shyly.

"These shoes don't go with anything," he assured as they laced them up.

"Oh god," Gabi winced as she looked up and spotted a familiar head of afro hair. "What's he doing here?"

Troy grasped her wrist and quickly hid them from view, watching as Chad sauntered out of the alley with Jason and the guys from the team, obviously having ended their session.

"It's okay, they're leaving," Troy commented and Gabi looked at him with a frown.

"Why are we hiding?"

"Because I'm not having Chad ruin our night," he confirmed and they went to their lane where they each chose a ball and filled out their names as Troz and Gabz on the board.

"Ladies first," Troy offered as Gabi stepped up and self-consciously looked around her and then took a deep breath and bowled the best way she could manage in a room full of people.

"Hey, cute dress," a guy from the next lane complimented Gabi as she came down into the seating well to hide from her bad bowl.

"Dude," Troy stood and gave the guy a look and Gabi smiled at the man once Troy stepped up to bowl.

"Thank you," Gabi offered politely and she noticed the way the guy's eyes traced her breasts that were encased in the structured cotton. She quickly dipped her eyes at his suggestive look and re-arranged her hair over her bust to cover her breasts from prying eyes.

"You ok?" Troy asked protectively as he stepped down and noticed Gabi's vulnerable position and he quickly checked over his shoulder for the guy in the next lane but the group there had gone, leaving him and Gabi alone.

"I'm fine," she stood up to bowl again and she gasped as her skittles all fell down- out of sheer fluke.

She turned and ran down to Troy, quickly hugging him around the neck in victory as she celebrated her success.

"Oh my god! I did it! I got a strike!" She squealed and Troy chuckled and tightened his arms around her, spinning her as he smiled down into her face.

"Great job," he commended as he put her feet to the ground and waited for her to uncoil her arms.

She looked up at him and swallowed, shyly extricating herself from his arms.

"Your go," she told him and he nodded, bowling his own full house and celebrating with and extravagant knee skid down the walkway.

"Troy!" She giggled as she watched.

"Hey, beat that," he lifted his brow in challenge.

"Not likely," she mused and bowled again.

"Hey, look who it is!" A loud voice called behind them and Gabi turned to see Chad climbing up the steps to the walkway where she stood and lifted her chin.

"I already threw my ball," she said flatly, intimating she'd quite like to bowl him over with it instead.

Chad smirked. "Nice dress, Sandy," he accused of her white outfit.

"Chad, come on," Troy tucked his hands into his jeans pockets and came up to join them.

"Come on what, bro?" Chad asked. "Just some friends, playing bowling, right?"

Troy tilted his head. "For you? I doubt it."

"I wanna see what ass this Montez girl has that has you all hot under the collar…" Chad gleaned as his hand cupped her backside and Gabi yelped, jumping out of his way.

"Don't touch me!" She warned hotly, moving to stand beside Troy, whose eyes had turned to that cold blue nobody much saw.

"You're out of line,_ dude_," Troy told him icily, protectively standing in front of Gabi.

Chad shrugged. "Whatever. Have a nice date, Swotty," Chad crowed to Gabi and she stepped forward to sock him one, but Troy gently restrained her.

"He needs teaching a lesson," Gabi remarked.

"Not by you," Troy replied, making her frown.

"Why not, you think I can't handle it?"

"No I think _he_ can't handle _you_," Troy amended. "Besides, he's not worth it."

"I think we should go," Gabi suggested of their night, now ruined.

Troy looked up, forlorn. "No, wait…"

Gabi sighed. "It was a nice idea but it's best we just stick to being lab partners," she explained.

Troy squinted. "Please don't do this…"

His begging words almost convinced her that tonight could work, that _they _could work but one person had already shown them they couldn't and she wanted to kill Chad Danforth as much as she wanted to thank him for showing her the light.

"Can you please take me home now?" She asked directly and he sighed, knowing he had to fulfill her wish.

"Alright," he conceded and a frown marred his face as he walked out with Gabi following behind once they had changed their shoes.

/

"Can I at least walk you to your door?" His blue eyes showed his utter hurt at having their night broken and she wondered how much he wanted this to happen and even why.

He could be walking up the garden path with any number of girls without having to ask their permission and yet here he was, asking hers.

She answered by holding her hand up, palm upwards and he gently wrapped his around it while he took her up the veranda steps.

Gabi chewed her lower lip while they stood on the porch.

"It's early, you could come in for a while…" She suggested, thinking how awkward it would be but wanting to go back to how they were before tonight happened.

"I think I'll just go," he mused.

"Troy, I-"

"I know." He cut her short. "I'm not the guy you thought I was…"

"No, that's not it-"

"Just…let's forget tonight ever happened?" He asked of her. "I'll see you Monday at school and we'll go back to the way things were…"

As he wandered away down her path, she seriously began to wonder if she wanted that at all. Because from the moment she had asked to go, her heart was screaming at her to have more time, more time with Troy to get to know him and his zany ways. But her head told her otherwise and she hated that it had won out. This time.


	7. Why Not

Hey people, I see each and every review and you all make me feel awesome, I know I don't reply to you all individually but you all mean something to me for sharing your thoughts :)

Thank you so much for your reviews, I know this story frustrates you sometimes lol but I hope you stick with it!

**Chapter 7**

Okay, so she shouldn't know where Troy Bolton lived, but she did.

Was it so wrong, she wondered?

These things just came about and seeing as last night had majorly failed, she felt like she had some bridges to build. And she wasn't going to build them sat at home pining.

_Sulking_, she amended quickly. Not pining. Gabi Montez pined for no-one…least of all some tall, scruffy ex-jock.

She sighed, standing on his porch, not quite brave enough to knock yet. She'd seen the truck in the drive that he'd used last night and decided finally that this must be his house unless he stole a neighbour's truck in which case in made total sense why he got in so much trouble…

"Hello?" A female voice broke her reverie and she opened and closed her mouth to swallow the dryness away.

"Hi," Gabi looked up at the older woman and saw Troy's kind face in hers. This must be his mom, she decided. "Is Troy in?"

"Oh, he's still asleep, my dear…" Mia Bolton excused. "Do you want to go up and wake him?"

Gabi tilted her head.

No, she didn't really want to go up and wake his lazy ass from bed and suffer his no doubt pig-sty of a bedroom, but needs must she sighed as she considered the alternative options.

"If that would be okay?" She ventured.

"Of course. What's your name, dear?" Mia asked as Gabi came inside the house.

"Gabi. Montez." She supplied brokenly, nervous around his mom.

"Oh, Gabi." His mom nodded. "His tutor."

"Right," Gabi gritted her teeth. "His tutor."

"Well go on up, he always sleeps like a log that boy…" His mom muttered as Gabi ventured up the stairs and found his room easily by the name tag adorned across his door.

After knocking three times, she twisted the door handle and held her breath as she pushed; wondering what she might find on the other side.

She opened one of her closed eyes and surveyed the scene. She was right, his room was a pit- just like every other teenage boy, she mused. And he was fast asleep on his belly on the bed wearing superman pajama's. She smirked. _Nice_.

And as she crept in she didn't know if she should shout him awake or gently rock him, but she figured he could use a good fright to pay him back for all the times he had done the same to her.

So she stood over his bed and smiled devilishly.

"It's the boogie monster!" She yelled and hit him with light, playful smacks down his blanket-strewn body, her call and attack scaring him awake nicely, she thought.

"Shit!" He jumped up and felt his heart stop in panic, then his breaths slowed as his room came into view, followed by a certain dark-haired girl. "What the hell…?"

She shrugged. "Hey."

"Hey?" He arched back, sleepy and confused. "Hey? Is that the best you can do?"

She shrugged again. "I guess."

"You guess? You just gave me an early heart attack and all you can say is hey?" He rolled over onto his belly and feigned going back to sleep, albeit traumatized.

"Wake up, lazy-bones," she repeated and he didn't move. "You want more boogie monster?" She asked and when he didn't respond she merely smirked and copied his superman jump to shock him into getting up.

"Did you drink something today?" He squinted at her as she crawled onto his bed after executing her move and he watched as she pulled his cover slowly towards her and up to her chin.

"Nope."

"Then why are you here?"

"To write notes, like you said."

Troy lolled onto his back and his tee rose up as it trapped under him, baring his toned belly which Gabi gaped at.

"Wow, you're ripped…" She echoed in surprise beside him and this time he looked at her funny.

"I played basketball," he defended, rubbing his eyes.

Gabi nodded and grasped the blanket closer. "Are you up yet?"

"Nope," he rolled a little and sighed.

"I'm bored," she announced.

"Seriously, what happened to you?" He asked again.

She shrugged. "Nothing. I just didn't want to remember last night as a bad thing. I wanted to clear the air and…you know…get back to being friends."

He gave her an incredulous look but didn't oppose her words.

"So you decided to ambush me in my own bed?"

She pursed her lips. "Okay it sounded better in my head," she rolled off his bed and tripped on a shoe on his messy floor, wincing as it hurt her ankle. "I'm obviously not welcome here so I'm going now…"

"Hey…wait…" Troy quickly rolled up and staggered across the room towards her, stopping as she paused and turned.

Today she had on a yellow sundress and a matching scarf tied around her head like a hair band; her hair high on the crown and her glasses back on her nose.

"I'm waiting," she prompted.

"Let's do the study thing," he gave in. "Beats sitting round here all day…"

Gabi let a victorious smile curve her lips. "Good decision," she commended teasingly.

/

"So… how does he kiss?" Kelsey's question into Gabi's ear made her jump but she couldn't avoid answering it for long.

"I don't know, I didn't kiss him," Gabi admitted.

"What? You had Troy Bolton all to yourself on a Saturday night until midnight and he didn't try it on once?" Kelsey screeched and Gabi frowned. Was he _meant _to try it on? Did that make her unattractive?

"No…"

"He really likes youuuu," Kelsey goaded and Gabi rolled her eyes.

"The date ended an hour into bowling, Kels," she shared.

"What? How come?" Her friend gaped.

"Because Chad turned up and reminded me what a geek I am and after that, things didn't seem so much fun…"

"And that's it?" Kelsey frowned.

"Well we studied yesterday but it was just study," Gabi assured.

"Hmm…" Kelsey squinted.

"What do you mean 'hmm'?" Gabi wondered.

"My matchmaking plan has some kinks…"

"Oh, Kelsey, no. Please don't do anything else. Look how bowling turned out…"

"Did you get your Ball ticket yet?" Kelsey looked up to Gabi as she spotted Sharpay Evans coming down the hall selling.

"No…"

"Give me twenty dollars…"

"Twenty dollars!" Gabi screeched and Kelsey sighed.

"Fine, owe me…" She said and then approached the brassy blonde and carried the paper ticket back to Gabi. "Here you go…"

"What superhero is it?" Gabi winced.

Kelsey read the back and her eyes lit up, making Gabi's tummy turn nervously.

"Catwoman."

/

"There is _no_ way on this _earth_ I am dressing up as Catwoman!" Gabi hissed to her friend as they seated in Math.

"Why not? She's hot…"

"Exactly. And I'm not- hello?" Gabi dramatized.

"Gabi, seriously," Kelsey rolled her eyes. "If half the guys in this school saw you dressed like that, they'd all want to date you…"

"It's a little slutty," Gabi ventured.

"Exactly," Kelsey said again. "Girl, you could work it…"

"KELSEY!" Gabi near-screeched and then took a breath as she felt she might pass out.

"Why don't you go with Troy?" Her friend suggested as said ex-jock walked in.

"Did you listen to anything I said this morning?" Gabi wondered.

"Listened. Didn't digest," Kelsey shrugged.

"For the love of god…" Gabi sighed and planted her face in her arms as was becoming increasingly familiar.

"Did I hear my name?"

Gabi looked up and gave Troy a long stare. She frowned as she realized Kelsey had switched seats again, leaving her prone to his ambush.

"Can I sit there?" He asked when she didn't answer.

"No…" she rolled her eyes as he sat, anyway.

"Are we back to the hate?" He glanced across at her.

"It's not you I'm mad at," she professed.

"Wow, that's a first," he derided and she sighed, showing him her ticket.

"Oh, hey, you got one," his smile was instant as he looked at her.

"Yeah and then there's-" she paused, about to reveal her worry and then remembering he wouldn't share who his secret identity was for the Ball. "Never mind."

He lifted his brows. "You have anyone to go with?" He asked lightly.

Gabi sighed. "Just as a third wheel with Kelsey and Ryan…"

"Go with me," Troy plucked out of the air as though he asked girls to balls every day and then Gabi frowned, realizing he probably did. Just not girls like her.

"You want to go with _me_?" She checked.

"Sure," he shrugged. "Why not?"

"Why not?" She repeated and he figured he might have used the wrong expression to show his interest but then he figured she already knew he was interested or he wouldn't have gone bowling…

"I mean-"

"The reason 'why not', Troy, is because I'd like to go with someone who really wants to go with me," she accused. "Not someone who just figures 'why not'," she finished, turning to face the front as the teacher walked in and Troy just sat and exhaled, annoyed that his execution of asking Gabi to the ball didn't come off well.

"Gabi…" He whispered.

"Shh," she hissed and avoided talking to him for the rest of the day.

/

_BlueEyes: I need your help._

TezzyG: That's what I'm here for

_BlueEyes: What do girls like?_

TezzyG: What?

_BlueEyes: You know…girls…what do they like? You are a girl, right?_

TezzyG: I am a girl. But I can't speak for every girl out there!

_BlueEyes: Just give me something…_

TezzyG: Are you looking for a gift or what?

_BlueEyes: Do girls like gifts?_

TezzyG: What did you do?

_BlueEyes: Nothing. I just need to say sorry._

TezzyG: Then just say it.

_BlueEyes: Really? That works?_

TezzyG: It really works.

_BlueEyes: Wow._

TezzyG: Have you ever had a girlfriend?

_BlueEyes: Yeah. Once. _

TezzyG: What happened?

_BlueEyes: My parents happened._

TezzyG: If it makes you feel better I never had a boyfriend before.

_BlueEyes: It doesn't. Make me feel better I mean. So what's your excuse?_

TezzyG: For not having a boyfriend?

_BlueEyes: Yeah…_

TezzyG: I'm a geek…

_BlueEyes: That I doubt…_

TezzyG: It's true.

_BlueEyes: Well a guy could still like you?_

TezzyG: This isn't about me. You should tell me how your day was.

_BlueEyes: I should. But I like talking to you way more…_

TezzyG: Thank you. But compliments won't distract me…

_BlueEyes: Darn, am I that transparent?_

TezzyG: Pretty much…

_BlueEyes: Okay, okay, don't rush me…_


	8. Annoying ExJock

Thank you for reviews people! :D

**Chapter 8**

It was funny. It didn't matter how many conversations you had with Troy Bolton, there still wasn't a seat for you on the bus.

Gabi worked her way down the aisle and bit into her lower lip as she admonished herself for thinking her friendship with Troy should bring material benefits such as sitting for the journey to school and she let her mind drift elsewhere.

For some reason, _BlueEyes_ had been open with her last night, giving her more details about his home life and the way his parent's arguing got to him. It was gone twelve by the time she logged off- not from choice but force as her mother caught her with her laptop on that late and told her to shut down or be grounded.

And considering the Ball was coming up, she didn't want to risk getting into her mother's bad books so she had obliged. But _BlueEyes_ was left alone with his fighting parents to deal with all by himself.

She had suggested he listen to his I-pod or invest in some ear-plugs but really, she wanted to be able to throw her arms around the unknown teen and show him someone cared. And it was the first time she had ever felt this much intrigue over a customer- or wanted to meet them.

It didn't matter that she had told him they couldn't, part of her still wanted to. And that was surprising.

_More surprising even than Troy Bolton._

Gabi frowned as the annoying, lazy lump popped into her head without invitation.

_Go away, _she screwed up her eyes to rid his image- all tall and good-looking- and opened them to find half the bus crowding her, waiting to get off.

"Move, then," the aggressive boy behind her demanded and she considered she may have spoken her command out loud; maybe even more embarrassing than being overheard complaining about Troy. Maybe, but not quite.

"Okay, okay…" She sighed and carefully came down the bus steps; rudely shunted out of the way by the hulk who had crowded behind her and she gasped in annoyed shock as she was punted into another student.

"Hey-" Troy caught her and frowned up at the guy who pushed her, squinting at the boy as he walked away, unknowing he had seen his arrogant shove.

"Why you?" She grumbled as she stepped back from his cushioning body- and refused to acknowledge how lovely it felt to be that close, even for those five seconds.

"Why me what?" He asked innocently

"Why are you _always _around? Especially when I'm busy tripping…"

Troy looked a little hurt. "You don't like having me around?"

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked, knowingly.

"No…" She lifted her chin.

He nodded. "You are. I can tell. You do that little lip-press thing and it's insanely cute…"

"Cute?" Her voice rose and octave and he dipped his chin and looked up under his fringe; as though ducking for cover.

"Yeah, cute…like…"

"Please don't," she begged of his attempt to explain what cute meant in his world, because the answer was entirely one she didn't want to hear.

She just couldn't face 'cute' right now.

"So…" He pursed his lips in an 'o' as he dragged the syllable out and waited for her to speak again. She merely glared at him with her angry eyes. "Can I take your books?" He offered, smiling at his spontaneous idea.

"No." She frowned and stormed up the path to the school leaving him to raise his brows in surprise.

"_I think she's warming to me,_" he smiled to himself as he followed.

/

"Don't shoot…" Troy held his hands forth in surrender as he finally decided to join lab class, ten minutes later than everyone else.

Gabi merely looked at him, but didn't let up from her note-writing as she propped her head on her elbow and watched the sample of earth turn the water from green to blue- indicating the chemicals in the sample.

"Silent treatment now is it?" he asked, almost to himself. "Soon we'll be onto the hitting stage and then you can _really _vent…"

"I'm concentrating," was all she said and he sighed.

"Look, we need to talk…" He broached.

"No, we don't." She smirked.

"We do. I mean, I feel like everything I say comes out wrong lately and you should know what I _really _was trying to say so that you're not mad at me anymore," he swallowed and Gabi turned her eyes to him, if not her body.

She saw something like vulnerability cross his face and she felt breathless at that. He really cared what she thought. _Well, that was surprising_.

"Why do you care if I'm mad at you?" She wondered.

His blue eyes met hers and she twisted this time to face him. "Because I do."

"Right," she nodded, slightly sarcastic on her tone. "You just…do," she repeated.

"Would you like it if I was mad at you?" He pointed out and she turned her lips down, knowing exactly how she would feel if the tables were turned.

"No, I guess not…" She mumbled.

He lifted his brows triumphantly.

"Fine," she sighed and slid her notebook over to show him the findings of their first test.

He squinted at her and smiled softly to himself at her forgiveness, wondering how he was going to ask her to the ball again

/

"Did you ask him yet?"

Kelsey was back on her case before she had even sat down with her lunch tray and Gabi considered her friend knew her only too well; but she took a risk firing questions before she was committed to sitting.

"I can sit somewhere else…" Gabi fired back, clutching her tray.

"Where? With Troy?" Kelsey asked sweetly and Gabi blushed and dumped her tray down with a smack that startled half the lunchroom.

She slid into her seat and silently fumed.

"Aw, don't be mad," Kelsey whined and reached over for a chip but Gabi smacked her hand away.

"Hands off," Gabi scowled.

"The food, or Troy?" Kelsey lifted a brow and took a chip anyway, chuckling at her own joke.

"Ha-ha," Gabi rolled her eyes.

"So did you?" Kelsey asked again.

"Did I what?" Gabi played dumb to prolong answering.

"Ask him to the ball yet?"

"No…" Gabi lifted her brows and took a mouthful of paella.

"Gabs…"

"He asked me." She allowed shortly, swallowing against her tight throat.

"Oh my god! Oh my god he _asked_ you? And you didn't think to tell me? You didn't think this was _monumental_, amazing news to share with your best friend?" Kelsey gasped and everyone at their table looked round.

"Kelsey," Gabi hissed. "Keep it down…"

"Sorry, is this a secret?" She wondered excitedly. "A clandestine affair?"

"No, it's not happening," Gabi amended. "I said no."

Kelsey's face dropped. "No? Why?" She pined.

"Because when I asked him_ why_ he wanted to go with me he said 'why not?' and frankly, that's not good enough for me…"

"Well, why _wouldn't_ he want to go with you?" Kelsey wondered.

"You're meant to be on my side," Gabi grumbled.

"I'm just wondering, Gabi, why you think he needs a reason…"

"Because," Gabi sighed. "He only started talking to me two weeks ago and don't you think it's just the tiniest bit _weird_ that suddenly he realized I'm alive and wants to go to the ball with me?"

Kelsey thought for a second. "No." She shrugged.

"No?" Gabi repeated.

"Gabi, what do you see in the mirror every day?" Her friend wondered. "You're beautiful, stylish and when you want to be- a warm hearted person. Why are you freezing him out?"

"Because his friend still calls me Swotty Montez and there's a chance this could all be one big joke…"

"Would he ask me to talk to you if it was a joke?" She asked lightly and Gabi looked up from her plate to study her friend.

"He what?"

"He asked me to talk to you. To find out how he could get you to say yes. To find out how to ask again…"

"He's going to ask _again_?" Gabi panicked.

"Yep."

"When?"

"My lips are sealed."

"Kelsey…"

"What? The guy looked heart-broken. How was I meant to turn him away?" She excused.

"He is not heart-broken," Gabi counter-acted, looking up as a dark hoodie passed by- Troy beneath it, shoulders hunched.

"Heart-broken," Kelsey repeated and Gabi swallowed nervously.

"It's not like he's advertising it to the world that he likes me or anything," Gabi frowned.

"Would you want him to?" Kelsey remarked. "Would that not be less genuine than just asking you?"

Gabi sighed out. "I just don't get what he sees in me. If he sees anything at all," she added just in case she was presuming too much.

"Just ask him about last night," Kelsey suggested and Gabi squinted at her friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Something happened, I don't know what. I could just see it in his eyes…I think that's why he wants to make up…so he can talk to you about it…"

"We did make it up," Gabi frowned. "In lab."

Kelsey shrugged. "I guess you have nothing to worry about then…"

/

_Nothing to worry about._

Chance would be a fine thing; Gabi mused as she waited outside East High on the steps and wondered if Troy had already left.

They had already arranged to have Lab homework at his house the following evening; but tonight Gabi wanted to get to the bottom of what her friend was hinting at.

Maybe Troy was in trouble and needed her help- or maybe he had wanted to come to her for advice and she had just been too mad to listen- or notice.

Either way, Gabi Montez was not one to ignore a plea for help even if it didn't come from the needy person directly.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

She looked up and licked her lips.

"Just some annoying jock I know," she replied as her eyes flicked over his handsome face. His hoodie seemed to be his life-force as he curled inwards and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Ex-jock," he reminded her lightly.

"Does an annoying ex-jock want to hang out?" She wondered.

His brows rose and his lips pursed. "Do you mean it?" He wondered and she frowned.

Did he doubt her? The same way she doubted him? Did he think she was offering out of pity or sympathy or whatever it was she was meant to be feeling in his eyes?

She wondered how it was that the most popular boy in school could doubt her intentions.

And then she remembered her indifference every time they spoke. Okay, she was protecting her heart, but maybe Kelsey was right. Maybe in protecting hers, she had broken his? Well, not _broken_, she mused. She didn't believe she had the power to affect him that way, but maybe bruised, she amended.

And that thought shocked her as much as it filled her with unexpected hope that maybe they would have more than friendship after all.

"Yes, I mean it," she answered honestly.

"I guess Kelsey told you, then," he smirked as he stood in front of her where she leaned on the railing and he was untidy in his stance but she liked that they faced each other this way- no hiding, no secrets.

"Well…sometimes I need a clonk round the head to remind me that other people exist on this planet…" She twisted to trot down the steps and he followed, his fingertips brushing hers as they stood at the bottom, not decided on their direction yet.

"What did she say?" He asked, flipping his fringe away to reveal his perfect eyes to her.

Gabi licked her lips and boldly grasped his hand. "That you needed a friend."

/

If she had worried that her boldness might have ruined the moment, then she was wrong.

She had chosen the perfect thing to say and she might not know it, but her hand-hold was the strength Troy needed to let his guard down.

As they sat in a booth in 'Betty's Diner' and sipped on milkshakes, Gabi darted looks about them to make sure no-one from school would be here to ruin the moment.

"Are you ashamed to be seen with me?" he enquired drily and she gave him a petulant smile.

"No…"

"Then why do you keep looking out?" He challenged.

She dropped her gaze. "Because I'm the geek remember? I have an image to uphold," she joked and he chuckled.

"Wouldn't want you to be linked with an ex-jock or anything," he quipped back.

She looked him right in the eye. "That's not why you're popular," she stated.

"It isn't?" He looked up under his fast-growing fringe.

"No. You have…" she paused, blushing.

"I have what?" He arched a brow with interest at her next words. His curly smile distracted her.

"A heart." She said quickly, looking down to her drink again quickly as her cheeks warmed.

"A heart," he replied, considering this.

"Okay, what are you ordering…?" She picked up a menu to change the subject.

"What are _you_ ordering?" He batted back and when she looked up to give him one of her long stares, she saw his grin and couldn't help grinning back.

"Funny," she conceded.

"I try…"

"I'm having the Detroit burger," she decided. "With Fries. And onion rings. And maybe some coleslaw…"

"Hungry?" He teased and she smirked.

"Yes."

"Okay, I'm having the same," he decided easily.

"Don't be cute," she accused.

"I'm not. Your choice sounds good…"

She looked at him unsurely but ordered two of her choice when the waitress came.

"So what's after this?" Troy wondered. "Dancing all night? Beer at Jerry's?"

Gabi tilted her head. "Are you a teenage delinquent?"

"Not that I know of…"

"You don't listen in class, you flunk Math and Science and you want to go partying on a _Wednesday_," she said the word like it was dirty.

"Hey, I do not flunk Math anymore, thank you," he replied haughtily.

"My mistake," she apologized gracefully.

"Hey, you know…" He began nervously, licking his lips and taking great interest in his fork.

"Hm?" She bit into her lip and sucked at her drink.

"Are you still going to the dance?"

She met his gaze slowly. "Yes."

"I…" He swallowed. "I'd still like to go with you…if…if you…"

Gabi reached across and grasped his hand, halting his fork-handling. "I'll go with you, Troy," she accepted.

His eyes flicked up. "You will?"

"I may have over-reacted before…"

"May have?" He laughed.

"Don't push it…" She warned.

"Look, when I said why not, I didn't mean to sound like I didn't care...I just don't get why you always act like you don't know why I'm talking to you…or asking you out…"

Gabi twisted awkwardly. "Can we go as friends?" She asked quickly. "I really think it would be best to go as friends…"

He held her eyes for a long moment and she thought she saw disappointment flicker across his face, but it left as soon as it came and he smiled tightly.

"Okay," he agreed, but she didn't feel like he meant it and now she felt bad for turning their possible date into a friendly union.

_What was wrong with her? _Just the mere whiff of being romantic with a boy and she turned into ice-woman. She really needed to get a grip on this kissing thing before it threatened to turn her into a spinster.

"So," she changed the subject lightly with a sigh. "Lab homework at your house tomorrow…"

"Yeah, about that," he swallowed and waited politely for the waitress to deliver their food.

She looked up. "You want to cancel?" She wondered.

"No…no, nothing like that," he assured, taking a hefty bite of his burger and prolonging his words, much to her annoyance. He really was just like every other annoying teenage boy- absorbed in food and sports only.

She lifted her brows and cleared her throat as she waited for him to continue.

"My parents…they're…well like I told you, they fight a lot." He broached, flicking his eyes around him to make sure no-one was listening, much like she had when they first arrived.

Only she didn't care who saw them now, or what they thought because the broken look on his face had her wanting to wrap him up and hold him until he smiled again.

"That's okay," she assured, knowing another teen who had warring parents and thinking actually, it might help her to learn first hand how it felt so she could give _BlueEyes_ better advice.

"Well…I don't _exactly_ feel comfortable about it…" He admitted.

"Would you rather I didn't come?" She wondered.

"It's not that I don't want you to come, it's just that I don't want you to see _that_," he admitted of his parents.

"Look, you should have heard the fight my mom and dad had after he-" She stopped quickly, catching herself, not sure why she was about to share her secret past with Troy of all people.

"After he what?" He asked hopefully and she realized he was looking for someone to understand what he was going through. Someone who knew how it felt when their parents had a fight and how embarrassing that was if everyone found out they could go at it like hammer and tongs…and maybe she did know, just from that one time, how it felt. So could she trust him?

She met his eyes and knew she could and she frowned at the feeling that dropped into her stomach. The same one that urged her to hold him; but went a step further, too. It urged her to kiss him.

And she had never felt that before.

"After he tried to shoot a crack dealer," she finished quietly, more affected by her feelings for Troy than sharing her dark past.

His brows lifted. "He did what?"

"It doesn't matter," she dismissed quickly and Troy frowned as her story sounded familiar. _Too_ familiar.

He blinked a couple of times, denying his curiosity that Gabi could be the same girl he talked to nearly every night about his problems. _Nah_, he smirked to himself. No way. Not Gabi.

"Well it sounds like you have an idea how it feels to be in the middle…" He offered to change the subject.

Her pretty brown eyes met his from under her specs and he sipped his drink to avoid spilling any more deep secrets tonight. Like the one about how he felt about her.

"So, do you still want to brave it?" He asked of their homework plans.

She smiled slowly. "If I can brave the city bus every day, I'm sure I can brave your parents…"

He curled a smile back. "Why not get a ride with me?"

"Troy," she laughed.

"What's funny?" He leaned back as their empty plates were cleared.

"I can just imagine what Chad would have to say if I hopped out of your truck at the school gates…" She rolled her eyes.

"So?"

"So? I don't want half the school gossiping about me behind my back." She explained lightly.

"You mean you don't want them gossiping about you with_ me_," he amended.

"We should go," she ended the awkward conversation of how she felt being seen with him. "My mom will be expecting me home…"

When he rose, he turned to her with a mischievous glint in his eye and she frowned, stopping on the sidewalk suspiciously.

"What's that smile for?"

"Nothing…" He denied, holding out his hand.

This hand-holding business was getting way too frequent, she mused as they walked. It wasn't that she didn't _like_ it; it was just that it made things so much more_ difficult_ if anyone saw them.

And that was her biggest fear. If anyone saw them.

But luckily, they made it all the way back to her house without being seen once by anyone either of them knew and she sighed out with relief once they got there. Troy didn't miss it; but he just smiled patiently at her paranoia and leaned forward.

"What are you doing?" She leaned back, instinctively.

"Nothing," he leaned back, too, blushing.

She squinted. "Were you going to kiss me?"

"No…yes…maybe…" he swallowed and smiled innocently.

She frowned. _Huh. _Why had she moved, she silently wondered?

"Goodnight," she offered, not wanting to explore her reasons for avoiding that kiss.

"Okay, good night," he lazily said back, without moving. She wondered why until she lifted her chin and then he leaned down to kiss her cheek; only then choosing to take a running jump off her porch steps, something that made her smile bemusedly.

"Are you in love?"

Gabi jerked at the sound of her mother's voice.

"No," she pulled a disgusted face.

"I would be if that boy kissed _me_…" Her mother teased and Gabi rolled her eyes as she came inside.

"That's sick, mom," she derided.

"I mean if I was your age," Jenna sighed and put a hand on her daughter's back as she led her to the sofa.

"Well, he's weird. And I don't like him," she explained of her indifference.

"Are you sure about that?" Jenna looked over with a knowing smile.

"What's the big deal?" Gabi whined and rolled onto her side on the sofa, grabbing a cushion. "You're worse than Kelsey!"

"I just want to hear all about it," Jenna shared.

"There's really nothing to hear about," Gabi assured.

"Okay," Jenna backed off and ran a hand down Gabi's arm as she lay prone beside her. "But I have some news, too."

"Oh, god," Gabi groaned and knew what was coming.

"You can't pretend your father doesn't exist, Gabi," Jenna said gently.

"Why not?" She shot back, covering her face with her cushion.

Jenna pulled it away and sighed. "He asked to see you."

"He's in prison, how does he think that will happen?" She snapped tightly.

"He wants you to go and visit him with the pass," Jenna described of the ticket she took to visit George Montez.

Gabi remained silent on the sofa and Jenna looked down to check her face. She was staring out, unseeing.

"Why now?" She finally asked.

"Because he misses you. He asked if you got his letters…"

"All fifty three of them," Gabi quipped and sat up with a sigh.

"I think he thought you might write back…" Jenna broached.

"Well he should have thought of that before he took to street crime," she frowned. "Why is everyone acting like this is _my _fault?"

"No-one is-" Jenna began to deny but she watched with a pained expression as her daughter flew up the stairs.


	9. Flat Hair

Jadiee- LOVE YOU! Lol x

Toogoodtobetrue- I'm updating! Best reviewer everrrrr ;)

DayDreamingOfYou- Ah thank you! I wish my school was that cool too lmao.

Crystal- glad I could make you laugh :D

BoOkWoRm- this story is actually finished and I write like crazy so no fears there ;) I am so pleased you're enjoying it, it makes sharing my stuff so worth it.

Nikki- thanks for the review, I know you'rre busy!

Zanessafaith- haha what a fall-out huh?

Fanficfan1122- Updated!

Fishing- thanks!

AddyD90- Ta, mate.

Midnight113- Ah thaaaanks :*)

Batzmary- *sigh* so true…

Ilovechiz2199- OMG thank you! I sorta chose George for the similarity lol.

Hisboo13- I know a lot about fronting and being stubborn hehe

Pumpkinking5- yay thank you.

MariaTyler- so glad :)

NeverSayNever- update is heeeere.

Juli93- hmm, I wonder?

Stars Walk Backward- shy, uncomfortable Troy reminds me A LOT of Zac :)

Bluebell140- thank youuuu.

Dyeitrouge- :D

Aly- thank you!

Dancedivaw1309- I freaking love your review too.

Cncgrad02- thank you for that comment I worked so hard at making that feeling so I'm glad it came across :)

**Chapter 9**

_So who do I go to when I have a problem? _Gabi pondered the irony of her hobby- the fact that she helped half of Albuquerque's needy teens but she had no-one to talk to when she felt her world closing in.

She could call Kelsey…she considered briefly, then decided against it as she realized her friend would no doubt start quizzing her about Troy again…What about Ryan? Too busy with drama club, she sighed.

There was one other person…one who knew what having cracked parents was like, but she had only said Goodnight to him an hour ago and there was no way she was going to give him the impression she needed him. Not on this earth. Never. No way.

_BlueEyes: You're up late._

Gabi's IM startled her and she smiled down sadly at her frequent customer.

TezzyG: So are you.

_BlueEyes: So what's bothering you?_

TezzyG: Nothing. How are you?

_BlueEyes: You don't get out of it that easily…_

TezzyG: I'm the helper, remember? Not the helpee…

_BlueEyes: Just for one night can you pretend to be? It might make me feel better…_

TezzyG: What knowing someone is worse off than you? ;)

_BlueEyes: Just not thinking about my problems for once._

Gabi sighed. She couldn't argue with that.

TezzyG: Well you remember how I said my dad did something bad?

_BlueEyes: In bad-ass Detroit, with a gun…_

TezzyG: Well he's in prison. And will be for a while. And he wants to see me.

_BlueEyes: You don't want to see him?_

TezzyG: He's my father, but I hate what he did. And it scares me.

_BlueEyes: Going inside?_

TezzyG: It's his home, not mine.

_BlueEyes: It's a hard decision_…

TezzyG: No magic answers?

She smiled at her teasing question, relief flooding her that he understood wordlessly how she felt. She panicked for a minute that he might judge her for having a convict for a father.

_BlueEyes: Do you love him?_

TezzyG: Yes of course. Even though I hate him, too.

_BlueEyes: Then you should go. You'll always regret it if you don't._

TezzyG: What if I hate it and wished I never went?

_BlueEyes: That's a risk you'll have to take…is there anyone you can take with you?_

TezzyG: My mom, I guess…

_BlueEyes: A friend?_

TezzyG: Nobody knows…I want it to stay that way.

_BlueEyes: I wish I was your friend, Terri. I'd go with you._

She felt tears threaten at BlueEyes' sweet offer and wondered for a moment if he was right. Should she confide in someone and share this burden?

TezzyG: It's your turn to spill…

_BlueEyes: Not tonight. Goodnight, beautiful x_

Gabi gasped at the compliment and watched as the 'logged off' message came up; leaving her panicking that he might know who she was. But then he wouldn't call her beautiful if he did, she mused with a self-depreciating eye roll. _Silly girl_, she berated herself.

But what did he see that was so beautiful? Her words?

She restlessly laid in bed and tossed half the night as the news of her father and her ensuing conversation with _BlueEyes_ tumbled together in one big mess.

_So much for beauty sleep._

/

"What happened to you?" Kelsey, ever the discreet demanded the next morning as Gabi staggered off the bus and peered through bleary eyes.

"Late night," she excused, sighing.

"Your hair is flat…" Her friend observed.

"And you're wearing sweat pants…" Ryan added, horrified.

"I'm what?" She looked down, realizing she hadn't actually changed out of her lounge clothes or styled her hair this morning and she quickly wrapped the messy curls up into a bun and pretended she wasn't wearing grey sweats tucked into ugg boots and a tight white vest with nothing to cover her arms.

"You should go home…" Kelsey offered gently. "You're not well."

"I'm perfectly well, thank you," she snapped tetchily.

"Perfectly well-formed!" Jason cross called as he loped up behind them and Gabi gave him a tight smile.

"Thanks for that totally inappropriate and badly-timed comment, Jase," she sarked, closing her eyes as she felt dizzy.

"Sorry," he held his hands up and glanced back at her. "Nice rack!" He called before he headed inside and Gabi looked down her front, not seeing what Jason saw.

"I have no rack…" She murmured confusedly and looked to Kelsey.

Her friend shrugged. "That vest _is_ kinda tight…"

"Ryan, give me your tank top," Gabi held her hand out expectantly towards her friend who wore a pink shirt and a pink knitted tank with diamonds on.

Ryan looked affronted. "My outfit…" He beseeched and Gabi let out a frustrated roar.

"Oh alright! I'll flash the entire of East High with my 'tight' vest then shall I?" She bemoaned and sank her head back to pray for divine intervention.

"Who mentioned flashing?"

Troy's voice joined the circus and Gabi didn't think she could take much more. Luckily her friend answered for her.

"Gabi forgot to get dressed this morning and is having a crisis over _that _vest," Kelsey pointed to Gabi's attire and Troy leisurely assessed the offending item.

His eyes shone as he flicked his gaze from her small, perfect breasts down to her tiny, impossible waist and then he stopped as the thin band of flesh between her vest and her pants hinted at the curve of her hips. Those shirt-dresses did nothing for her figure, he decided of her new, tight top.

There were many things he could have said- most of them teasing, but he merely pursed his lips against the urge to wind her up even more and lifted his eyes to hers.

She looked at him expectantly.

"Do you want my hoodie?"

Apparently that was also the wrong thing to say because she glared at him with her usual hatred.

"No I do not want your hoodie! What would people think?" She cast out.

"That you borrowed his hoodie…" Ryan offered hesitantly.

"That is _so_ not what people would think;" she glared at her friend and he held his hands up.

"Sorry…"

"Gabi, calm down," Kelsey gripped her upper arms and looked into her face. "Do you want my top?"

Gabi gritted her teeth. "It's a halter-neck, Kelsey. Just where do you think I'm going to find boobs to fill it?"

Kelsey sighed and gave up, taking Ryan's hand to lead him away while Troy was left to fend for himself in the firing line of the angry Montez female.

"The offer still stands." Was all he said.

"Why are you still here?" She wondered, surprised at his staying power when her friends had walked off.

"You look like you had a bad day," he shrugged. "Or night…" He added.

"Maybe both," she sighed and let her shoulders sag in surrender.

"Do they always walk off like that?" He asked of her friends.

"When I'm having a hulk moment, yes," she recognized.

"Hulk moment?" His eyes twinkled with amusement as he slipped his bag off his shoulder and laid it to his feet. "Nah, I've seen worse…"

She watched him pull his hoodie over his head; messing his hair in the process but that wasn't all she noticed. She also saw the flash of that belly when his tee-top rode up for a second while he pulled off his jumper.

"Here," he was handing her the top as she stared. "Gabi?"

"Huh?" She snapped her head up and met his amused gaze.

"The top?" He held forth his hoodie.

"Oh right, of course;" she nodded and took the warm jumper and looked at it.

"If you don't want people to see you wearing it just say the word and I'll drop you home to get changed…" He ventured at her distracted gaze.

Gabi quickly snapped into action. "No, it's okay. It's just a top, right?" She asked.

/

_Just a top?_

_Nice try, Montez_, she sighed to herself as the fifth cheerleader of the twelve-strong group approached in that day.

"Are you wearing Troy Bolton's top?" Amelle asked, o'ing her mouth.

"No, it's my brother's," she quipped with a dull eye-roll.

"You don't have a brother…" Amelle commented as Gabi walked on.

"Go figure…" Gabi remarked on a sigh and accidentally bumped into the next student who apparently liked walking down the hall backwards.

"Watch it!" She hissed as her books fell to the ground.

"You watch it, Swotty," Chad Danforth turned and smiled at her.

"Don't call me that," she gritted her teeth and bent for her books.

"So you put out then…" Chad remarked and she sighed and stood, books rescued with no help from the arrogant black boy.

"What?" She sighed irritably.

He reached out to grasp the shirt, making her step back where she faltered, not sure of his intent as his fingers gripped right above her breast.

"You're wearing Bolton's top. That means you gave out…"

"Of course it does, how stupid of me," she said levelly and went to move.

Chad had other ideas and his fisted handful of her top kept her trapped.

"Want a go behind the gym later?" He lifted a brow.

"As inviting as that sounds," she quipped. "No thanks."

"Hey, Montez," he pulled her back again, just gently, so no-one around them would suspect. Her hard eyes met his. "Don't forget your place." He warned.

He let go of her top and she conscientiously rubbed out the ruck he had caused as she walked on; bumped by another body as she went.

"Jeez, this is one of _those_ days," she sighed, then looked up. "Sor-"

She paused as she looked into blue eyes.

"What did he say?" Troy wasn't even looking at her anymore, she realized, he was squinting down the hall.

"Who?"

He twisted his lips in annoyance. "Chad."

"Nothing," she frowned, surprised to him tense with anger.

"He's had it in for me ever since I quit the team…" He commented and Gabi nodded.

"Explains a lot."

Again, those blue eyes searched hers. "Did he hurt you?"

She tilted her head. "You don't need to protect me, Troy. I can look after myself."

"This isn't about you," he assured with a glitter in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. "This is about Chad bringing you into something he doesn't need to…"

"Are you two fighting?" She wondered.

He avoided her gaze. "No."

_Good, right. Glad I asked…_

"I'm going to be late," she said of his blocking her route to class.

"We have math, anyway," he said flatly.

"I know."

"I'll walk with you," he stated and she followed him inside the room, choosing to sit with Kelsey and not fuel any more rumours about the status of her and Troy's friendship.

"Where have you been- making out?" Kelsey hissed across the desk as Gabi slid into her seat and the dark-haired girl groaned and lay her head into her arms.

/

"I would rather be wearing a dress than these sweats," Gabi grumbled as Troy pulled up in the drive of his house for their homework assignment.

"I wouldn't," he grinned back and she blushed.

"These are not sexy," she arced as she slid out of the high truck just as Troy came round and he stood, awkward at missing his chance to help her down.

"Oh…okay…" he fidgeted and turned toward the house where she followed, lifting one brow to his back.

Why had he gone all weird on her, she wondered?

"Mom!" he called. "I'm home!"

Gabi hugged her books to her chest and swallowed nervously, even though she had met Mrs. Bolton and the lady had let her go up to Troy's room unannounced the last time she came. Somehow tonight was more… official.

"Hello, son," Mia Bolton greeted as she came into the hallway. "Hello, Gabi…"

"Hello Mrs. Bolton," Gabi smiled shyly.

"It's nice to see you again…"

"You too," she ventured nervously.

"Well, I've just put some party food in the oven so when it's ready you can just come down and help yourselves whenever you're ready…" she offered.

Gabi licked her lips. "Sounds lovely."

Troy remained quiet while they climbed the stairs to his room and he let her inside, finding a more tidy version of the previous pig-sty she remembered.

"She's nice," Gabi said of his mum. "It's hard to imagine…" She broke off, not wanting to broach that subject.

"It's hard to imagine her screaming her head off?" Troy looked to her. "Well wait till my dad gets in, then you'll be surprised…"

"Why don't they get on?" Gabi wondered, sitting on the edge of the bed and Troy sat beside her, shrugging.

"God knows."

"They argue about everything?" She checked and he nodded, solemnly.

Gabi was reminded of the mystery boy she talked to online with the same difficulties and she squinted at the boy beside her, for one second wondering if he wasn't one and the same…_No_, she laughed to herself. Troy wasn't like the guy online. He wouldn't understand her situation with her father or make her feel better without trying…

But then, he did, she conceded. Sometimes just the sound of his voice or the pull of a funny face made her smile and she considered that every time she had been annoyed to see him; had been a moment she was also secretly pleased to see him.

But then when would she not be secretly pleased to see him, she mused? He was tall and muscled and owned a tummy to die for…what sane girl would not want to date Troy Bolton?

She looked up, surprised to see his intent stare on her face- on her lips to be precise and he leaned toward her, his intention clear and she took a small gasp in that parted her lips and it annoyed her even more that she couldn't be this close to him and not want to kiss him…since when did she want to kiss anyone, she wondered?

Especially Troy Bolton.

Especially Troy Bolton and his soft, sweet lips; and his softer, touchable hair…and yes…those wide shoulders and beautiful neck to grasp onto with shaky need as her small body pressed to his-

"Troy…?"

The call of his mother broke them apart and Gabi sat back in shock, swallowing as she touched her lips in surprise.

Had she just kissed him? Troy? She'd just kissed him! She'd kissed him and clung to him like her entire life depended on it and now he was staggering across his room like he was drunk on the back of it, his hair sexily messed by her hands…

"Uh…" He looked back on her, as if not wanting to leave her and wanting to bolt in the same moment. He licked his lips and blinked away the desire of the last moment.

"It's okay, go…" She murmured, needing a moment to herself to recover and remember who she was and _what the hell she was doing in Troy Bolton's bedroom? _KISSING him of all things! She groaned and leaned back on the bed.

What _was_ she thinking?

Well, she wasn't, she mused. She clearly wasn't thinking and it was all down to that stupid belly he flashed her this morning in giving her his top; and maybe a little to do with the said top, too, seeing as it smelled of his musky scent and other things besides.

That was it, she reasoned, flinging his top off onto the bed and giving it an admonishing stare.

"Stupid top…" She told the inanimate object, flopping back on the bed while she waited for Troy to return.


	10. Not Special

You guys literally amaze me and blow me away, every chapter I get another set of amazing comments that make me smile so wide!

I never realized how annoying Gabi could be seen in this story until some of you mentioned it, but hopefully she has enough humanity to endear herself anyway!

Hope you like this one, there's 5 more chapters for whoever asked!

**Chapter 10**

Troy walked back into his room and froze at the sight he found there. Gabi laid on his bed, his top strewn to one side and her perfect torso revealed through the tight cling of her vest.

He lifted a brow and coughed gently, feeling his teenage hormones rush dangerously around his veins, arousing him when he needed to concentrate.

"Are you okay?" He asked as she sat up and he cursed the husk in his voice.

"Fine," she smiled flatly.

"Hot?" He practically spat out; shoving his hands into his pockets to hide their tell-tale quiver.

She looked to his top and blushed. "Itchy," she lied.

"I'll find you something else…" he quickly decided, vanishing into his closet.

"It's okay, I can live…" She called and he smirked to himself.

"You can, I might not…" He muttered and jerked and cracked his head as she appeared behind him.

"What did you say?" She asked as he turned and held out a plain knit top in a grey that matched her pants. "Oh, thank you."

"I just said that vest suits you…" He murmured as he rubbed his sore head and willed her to move.

"Are you okay?" She screwed up her face and he didn't think he'd ever met anyone as oblivious as Gabi in his life.

Was she really that stupid, he wondered? Or just so innocent she didn't even consider how badly she turned him on? Probably that, he accepted as she turned back and plopped onto the bed, business back in mind as she pulled out a book.

"So…uh…before," he cleared his throat and ventured a look her way from where he sat against his headboard, a good few feet away.

Her dark eyes rose and told him silently she didn't expect to discuss this.

"Uh…never mind," he quickly cleared his throat and started reading from the book while Gabi made notes.

"We need the samples from the yard…" She chewed on the end of her pencil and he watched her, leaning on her front with a thoughtful frown.

"Now?" He checked and she looked up.

"May as well?"

He nodded and they went downstairs and out into the yard, passing the dinner goodies as they went. Troy stole a handful of sausage rolls and handed one to her while they worked.

"It's cold," she shivered as he dug out a scoopful of dirt with a spoon.

"Want my jacket?"

She didn't answer. "Troy, tell me you are not using your mom's best cutlery to do this…"

He smiled meekly. "I'm not using my mom's best cutlery to do this," he repeated and she swiped him.

"You'll get grounded again…"

A muffled, but loud enough to hear yell sounded inside the house and both teens knelt up and listened.

_What kind of mess do you call this? I told you to clear this place up!_

"Dad's home," Troy lifted a brow, then frowned. "I should take you home now…"

Gabi reached out and grasped his forearm. "Don't be embarrassed…" she begged.

_I work all day, too! What, you think I sit here and do nothing?_

Troy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You should go." He said again and Gabi nodded.

"Okay," she conceded sorrowfully as he led her to the drive.

He opened the truck door and she climbed in, cuddling into her jumper.

"Thanks for the jumper…" She offered into the tense silence of the truck cabin.

"Keep it," he assured.

"So do you have your outfit for the ball?" She wondered, pursing her lips, and then frowning as they tingled with the memory of his kiss.

"Yep," he managed a grim smile. "Do you?"

"Not quite…"

"I'm dying to know who you got…"

"Well, it's a surprise," she said back, thinking it would be a surprise to herself if she actually had enough guts to wear a cat suit in the first place.

"I like surprises," he offered and she smiled.

"I'm sure."

He stopped outside her house and dropped down to walk her to the porch like he always did.

"I'll bring the samples for lab," he said.

"Okay," her breath was smoky in the cold air.

"You should go inside before you freeze…"

She nodded, pausing still as her hands wrapped the too-long sleeves of his jumper around them. And then she did something he didn't expect. She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him. Not on the cheek like he had, but on the mouth. And then she went inside without a word.

And he couldn't help but smile at that.

/

"Hey," Troy husked as he slid onto his lab stool and lay his head into his arms to sleep.

"Hi," Gabi frowned at his tired state. "Are you okay?"

He lifted his head and smiled wanly in response.

"You look beautiful," he offered of her set curls and dark blue drapey dress.

"Thank you…" she said bemusedly, wondering why he was calling her beautiful.

"My mom and dad were arguing about the electric bill until 3am," he shared of his tiredness. "I was glad to get to school…first time ever…" He added.

Gabi swallowed at his admission. "I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault." He assured.

"I wish there was something I could do…"

His head rose again, and he smiled slowly and Gabi held her breath at his look.

"Take me away?" He suggested instead of the mischievous idea Gabi had expected.

She lifted her brows. "There _is_ somewhere we could go…"

He looked to her, surprised. "Oh really, Miss Montez?" His eyes crinkled.

"No, not the Point," she rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't even thinking of it…" He assured cheekily.

"It's a place my mom took me when we first came; she said I could pretend to be wherever I wanted when I was there…"

"Where did you choose?" He wondered.

"Back home…before…" She hesitated.

Troy picked up her unsaid words from what she had told him before- if only briefly- of her father.

"Good memory," he guessed.

And she relived it later when they sat on the edge of the mountain that displayed her favourite view- of the land of Albuquerque below them, red sand and rock and dark green desert plants in between.

"It was so much simpler back home;" she sighed of Detroit.

"What happened?" He asked, not expecting her to tell.

She shrugged. "I don't really know. I just came home one night from bowling and I saw him in the alleyway, pointing a gun at this dealer…"

"Wow," Troy frowned and swallowed, unlinking his hands from his knees and laying it down behind her so he could shift up and offer silent comfort.

Surprisingly, she sensed it and leaned into his shoulder. "Pretty sucky," she offered.

"Where is he now?" He wondered, tipping his head against hers and pursing his lips to the sky.

"Gone." Gabi described simply, not wanting to admit her father's real location.

Troy jerked, frowning at her statement. Didn't Terri have a father who was absent? Didn't she suffer with the indecision of going to see him in prison? Hadn't _her _father held a gun to someone? His mind whirled as he tried to match everything Terri had said to everything Gabi had said and come up with something solid.

"Are you okay?" She asked of his shift.

"Yeah…yeah…It's just…you remind me of this girl I know…" He ventured.

Gabi swallowed. _There was a girl?_

"There's a girl?" She looked up, forlorn.

"No," he chuckled at her expression. "I mean, yeah there _is_ a girl, but not in the way _you're_ thinking…no the only girl that _isn't_ you is-"

"Oh my god, there _is_!" She gasped and sat back.

"No, no, there's definitely no other _girls, _Gabi," he assured. "Other than you, I mean. I mean you know I-"

"Who is she?" Gabi wondered, swallowing against her hurt.

Troy sighed out, frustratedly. "No-one special, okay…no one like-"

"She's not special and she reminds you of me?" She asked pointedly and he grimaced and closed his eyes as he dug himself a hole that only got deeper.

When he opened his eyes, she was already halfway back to the truck.

"Hey, don't be mad!" He called and jogged after her.

"I'm not special and there's another girl," she stated jutting her chin up with a tight smile. "How mad don't you want me to be?"

"She's not even real," he sighed, exasperated. "I just talk to her sometimes and-"

"And she's not me," she repeated, using his intended compliment as an insult.

"That's not what I meant," he sighed as she leaned against the passenger door of the truck, waiting for him to unlock it.

"Take me home." She said flatly.

"Gabi, listen to me…"

"Take me home, now, Troy or I'll call my mom…"

He sighed again, defeated. She wouldn't listen to him while she was mad but he hated that she had taken every word he meant to praise her with and turned it into the opposite.

"Okay, Gabi, I'll take you," he said as he crossed the truck hood and unlocked the vehicle to slide in. "But this is not over," he told her as she climbed in, too.

"This is not over by a_ long_ shot."

/

_Oh shit._

Gabi collapsed on her bed, on her back and pretended that Troy hadn't just glared at her like she was the worst person on this planet, like ever to exist.

_It was so obvious! Why hadn't she realized?_

The girl he was talking about- the one she had thrown a hissy fit over- was _her. _Her alter-ego to be precise. Terri.

When he'd first mentioned it, she'd just gone into blind panic mode and she'd not listened to any of his explanations but as she had trailed up the stairs to her room, suddenly everything had become so clear.

"_I mean, yeah there is a girl, but not in the way you're thinking…no the only girl that isn't you is-"_

"Oh, god," she cringed and rolled onto her side, covering her face with her arms as she remembered his words.

"_No, no, there's definitely no other girls, Gabi. Other than you, I mean. I mean you know I-"_

She knew he what? What was he about to say that she had stopped him from saying? She sighed and felt sobs erupt in her chest as she blamed herself for not letting him speak.

"_She's not even real…I just talk to her sometimes and-"_

He just talks to her sometimes. _And calls her beautiful_, she smirked.

But somehow, she wasn't even mad about that. Because even though he did think Terri was a whole other person, he was still just being Troy, being sweet and friendly. She still knew deep down that he really liked her. She just wished she wasn't such a freaking dork to keep pushing him away.

She rolled right onto her stomach and let the sobs overtake her body, crying out the pain she felt at disappointing him so badly. She wondered then if he would ever speak to her again.

Because the thought of him not broke her heart.

/

Gabi sighed and buried her head in her arms; waiting for Ryan's comforting hand to rub her back.

"Troy's mad at me," she explained her unhappiness quickly while they sheltered in the library away from inquisitive eyes.

"What for?" Ryan wondered and Gabi swallowed, thinking she should explain everything really for him to understand.

"He nearly found out…"

"Found out what?" He questioned and she sat up and looked right at him.

"My alter-ego. My other persona…I run a website, Ryan. Offering help to teenagers…"

"Ohh," he nodded and then his brows lifted. "Wow."

"Yeah, great idea huh? Until the guy I'm meant to be helping turns out to be the guy I'm falling for…"

Ryan's eyes widened. "Wow…"

"Ugh," she bemoaned his shock. "I need Kelsey…"

"I'll get her," Ryan quickly offered and Gabi glared at him.

"I was joking."

"Oh." He sat down again and sucked his lower lip.

"So what do I do?" She beseeched.

"Tell him?" Ryan ventured and she gave him another death-glare.

"I just accused him of having another girl on the go and completely flipped out…" She described, making him smile.

"So, tell him the truth. And then he'll know why you flipped out," he made it sound simple.

"Ugh," she buried her face again.

"Kelsey would know what to do…" He offered gently.

"She would march me up to his ass and force me to spill…" Gabi guessed.

"Then that's what I'll do," Ryan stood up with a smile and waited for her to rise.

"No, Ryan…"

"Yes." He stated. "Get up. We're going to visit an ex-jock about a flipping incident…"


	11. Mary Poppins

Hey peeps! I hope everyone is well! I can't reply to everyone, every time, however sometimes I see a comment that inspires a reply or a new name or something and I reply back. Like I say over and over, I appreciate every single one of you who bothers to hit 'review' and type a word or two or a hundred (batzmary lol)

TheEternalCrow- yes you do lol x

Mydeamsinwords- I do update quick, I hate waiting months for updates lol.

.de- thank you!

Kaybaby- you know me too well! ;)

Turkish turquoise- the reference to him kissing her on the cheek was in relation to the last time he had walked her home and tried to kiss her. I can see why that didn't make sense though :)

Xmindset- she just gets mad lol. It's just how it is. And she believes that she's unloveable because of it but then there's Troy…hehe ;)

**Chapter 11**

Gabi was being dragged along the corridor by her upper arm, a grumpy and annoyed look on her face as she practically burned Ryan with her gaze.

Honestly, she didn't think it was a good idea to tell Troy the truth for two reasons. One, he still needed her help- or Terri's help to be precise- and she didn't know what the truth might do to him and two, she needed to keep her anonymity. She couldn't trust him not to freak out big time and spill the beans and then her little business would be kaput.

When the small, blonde boy brought her up beside Troy and his friends, she cringed and almost died.

"Hi," Ryan greeted with a smile, ignoring the jocks around Troy.

"Hey, man," Troy greeted and looked to Gabi with a cool stare. "What's up?"

"Gabi has something to say to you…"

The jocks crowed and Gabi rolled her eyes, wrangling her arm in Ryan's grip.

"Get off me," she whispered.

"Hey, we'll catch you later, man," Jason led the jocks away from Troy's locker and they sniggered as they looked back.

Gabi looked to Ryan. "You can let go now."

"Promise me you won't bail?"

"I can't _now _can I?" She fumed. "You made that pretty darn obvious…"

"Okay. My work is done," Ryan smiled again and marched off, leaving Gabi to look up under her frames to the indifferent Troy.

"Ok, yesterday…" She began.

"Do I have to remember that?" He inserted.

"Look, I…" She swallowed. "I wasn't mad at you for the reason you think…"

His brows lifted. "No? You seemed pretty mad to me…"

"I'm always mad!" She defended. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you why…there's something you should know…there's lots you should know," she conceded, choosing to tell him the truth that existed before the penny had dropped.

"I'm listening," he folded his arms and leaned back on the locker and she frowned, pulling his arms down and stepping closer, but not touching him, only just an inch away looking right up into his eyes.

He adjusted his position to slouch a little and decrease his height.

"I was jealous, okay? I admit it," her cheeks flushed as she looked up.

"You could have just told me that instead of flipping out…" He remarked gently.

She sucked her lower lip and nodded shamefully. "And I thought that maybe you liked _her_…not me…" She added, then smirked. "Not that you _would_ like me, but-"

His smile was soft and his finger paused her lips. "That's what I was trying to tell you…"

"What?" She looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Yesterday, when you went crazy...if you had listened, I was telling you that _you_ were special to me, not the other girl. And that it was _you_ I liked…And yeah, she's not you, okay? I was trying to say that she's _not_ you…"

Gabi licked her lips and her breaths became short and tight. He lifted his hand and traced her cheek with his fingertips, bending his head to kiss her.

"Troy," she pressed her hands to his chest to stop him but nothing could stop the inevitable as their lips met; hers more tentatively than his; leaning up against the locker for everyone to see; but somehow, she didn't care.

When his hand cupped her neck and his thumb brushed her earring, she only wanted to tilt her head to deepen that kiss, not cast it off as she should be. _In the hallway of all places_, she tutted internally at her own behaviour.

But his kisses were amazing and she blinked drowsily as they surfaced, still stood there together, still surrounded by noisy students and not one of them caring what they had been doing seconds before.

"Am I forgiven?" He asked with a twinkle, knowing full well he wasn't even in the wrong.

She smiled shyly and blushed, pulling away. "The question is, am I?"

"FINALLY!" A familiar voiced sliced into their moment and Gabi rolled her eyes as Kelsey ascended upon them. "Finally you kissed…" She added to explain her excitement.

Troy smirked. "That's not the first time we-"

"Ah-" Gabi stopped him. "She doesn't need to know that…"

He smiled warmly at her and bent to whisper in her ear. "See you in lab..." He winked before he jogged off, back to his waiting friends down the hall who all jeered him.

"Great, they saw," Gabi sighed.

"_Everyone_ saw," Kelsey confirmed her fears. "Why didn't you tell me?" She added with a shriek.

"Because it's really not a big deal…" Gabi rolled her eyes.

"Not a big deal? Gabi Montez- boyfriendless since time began, suddenly kissing the most popular guy in school- and the sexiest may I add- and it's not a big deal?"

"Thanks," Gabi muttered. "When you put it that way…"

"I'm so happy for you!" Kelsey hugged her.

"Well, it was just one kiss. Who knows what will happen…"

They began walking to class.

"Would you…you know?" Kelsey elbowed her.

Gabi made a face. "Right now I have a few more things to worry about that how far I'm going to go with Troy…" She sighed.

"Well let me worry about that part, then," Kelsey smiled eagerly and Gabi groaned at her excitement. "See you later!"

Her friend waved as she dived off.

_If I'm still alive, _Gabi mused. All this secret-keeping was going to kill her.

/

"Stop looking at me like that."

Lab was harder than she had thought it might be. Facing Troy was always going to be difficult- without the extra complication of him actually forgiving her. If he'd gone back to being angry she could have coped, but no, that kiss seemed to have shot every angry bone out of his body because he would not stop _grinning._

"Like what?"

"Like you think I'm…"

"You're..?" He prompted.

"I don't know- whatever you're thinking," she spat.

"We should talk about this more," he conceded. "But later."

"So you're just going to keep grinning at me like that?" She arched a brow.

"Don't you feel like grinning?" He asked, only then feeling a little perturbed that she wasn't as happy as he was.

"Nothing's _changed_," she pointed out.

"Gabi, everything has changed," he argued. "Everyone knows about us now."

"There's an us?" She looked up, all lab goggles.

"Ouch," he winced in mock pain.

"Two kisses makes an us?" She feared.

"You don't want there to be an us?" His smile faded.

"I…" She frowned. "I guess…I just…I…"

"Wow, don't hold back on that affection," he sarked. "I guess this morning wasn't what I thought it was…"

She sighed, laying down her measuring cup and sliding up her goggles to meet his eyes.

"You know about my dad," she whispered. "That's a lot for me to deal with…I like what we have, don't get me wrong…but to suddenly go from being friends to being an 'us'?" she swallowed. "I don't know if I can…if I can deal with that…"

"If you think I'm just about sex you're wrong," he stated as he looked down on her, hurt by her words. He just wanted to wrap her in his arms and forget about everything else and she was still trying to deny him.

Her vulnerable look told him that that was what she had been worried about in having a title for their relationship.

"Gabi…" He beseeched.

"Good work," Mr. Miller interrupted their chat. "Any problems?"

"No, sir," Gabi said, still looking right at Troy.

"Good, on you go, then," he gently reprimanded.

Gabi licked her lips. "Do you want to come over, after school?" She asked.

Troy squinted. "For homework?"

"For 'us' time," she amended, swallowing nervously.

His smile was slow. "I'd love to."

/

Troy laid out on Gabi's bed with his hands folded behind his head and a knowing smile painted across his lips as he watched her nervously flit about the room, finding 'chores' that needed to be done.

He really didn't know why she was so nervous in his company now, but he could see why she didn't want to put a label on their friendship because now she was all kinds of flipping out and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

So he waited patiently for her list of 'chores' to run out and when she turned to look at him, he smiled innocently.

"Hey," he greeted teasingly as though he had just sat on her bed and not been lain there for the past half hour.

"Hey." She swallowed.

"I don't bite you know…" He twinkled and she sighed.

"I know…" She trailed over and sat on the opposite side of her bed, falling back so her head rested on his tummy. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"You wanted to make out and I…I turn into Mary Poppins," she described.

"Hey, Mary Poppins is hot…"

She gave him a look.

"No? Then you as Mary Poppins is _definitely _hot," he amended; still lounged on her bed only he dared to reach one hand down to touch her hair.

She sighed and curled her legs up onto the bed, facing away from him but he could stroke her hair better that way, he realized.

"I just like talking to you, Gabi," he offered to placate her.

"Why did everything have to change?" She bemoaned hiding her face in his belly.

"Because you jumped my bones in the hallway," he quipped jokily.

"I did not!" She defended but she knew he was joking.

"So, we should talk about your dad…" He broached of the conversation they were having before his mention of Terri caused chaos the last time they spoke of Gabi's father.

"Should we?" She replied, emotion blocking her throat at the mention of her father.

"Yeah…I mean…if you want to..?"

"Do you want to talk about _your _dad?" She arched to distract him, disturbed by the fact he had sensed her freak out was related to her dad-issues. The little he knew of them.

"No, but my dad's not the one who's estranged…"

"Troy," Gabi sat up and looked at him. "It's really sweet that you want to help but none of my friends know about my dad for a reason. Because I don't want to talk about it. Period."

Troy pursed his lips and sat up, too, crossing his legs. "Alright, I get it."

"We should say goodnight and just…" She got up. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Troy got up off the bed and padded around to meet Gabi at her door where she was holding it open for him to leave.

He ignored that and cupped her face. "You can't avoid me forever," he told her and kissed her lips; and then he slipped through the door and down her stairs just like she had asked him to.

Then why did her lips want more of his, she wondered?

/

"Are you still pretending you don't know me?"

Troy leaned into the locker next to hers and Gabi couldn't help but smile half-heartedly at him.

"No…"

"No? I was sure I was good for another two weeks at least…"

"Well the ball is Friday so…"

"You can't pretend anymore?" He finished her sentence.

"I'm not pretending."

"Oh here's the new power-couple of East High…" Chad's voice called out loudly, bringing a sigh from Gabi's lips. "Troy Bolton and Swotty Montez…Mr. Popular and Miss. Geeky…"

Gabi pressed her lips together and folded her arms, shutting her locker to face the loud boy in the hallway.

Today she had a sexy-secretary look going on with her hair piled high in grips, her glasses on her nose, red taint to her lips and a pencil skirt in grey with a tight yellow blouse tucked in to match.

"At least I'm not a moron;" she pointed out, to a few snickers on her side.

She lifted her chin as Chad eyed her. "You'll wait," he said under his breath and she squinted at his threat.

"What does that mean?" She looked to Troy.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," he turned to follow his friend down the hall, but a small hand grasping his jacket stopped him.

"See you later?" She checked and he smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

"Miss you already," he proclaimed.

"Ah, love's young dream…" Kelsey sighed and pitched beside Gabi.

"Don't you start," Gabi warned.

"That's twice I've caught you kissing in the hallway, anybody'd think you were a _couple_," her friend teased.

Gabi shrugged. "So what if we are?"

"After all those lies you told me about not liking him and being friends…" Kelsey accused.

"I didn't lie," Gabi conceded. "But…I guess something happened…"

Kelsey arched her brow.

"No, not that," Gabi pressed her lips together impatiently.

"Okay, so what's the plan for Friday?" Kelsey quickly moved on.

"I found a black velvet cat suit in the charity shop and I sewed on a tail and I have the ears and a little mask for the nose…" Gabi described her costume.

"Shoes?" Kelsey checked.

"Your knee high boots," Gabi nodded and Kelsey smiled.

"Good girl."

"Anything else?"

"Red lipstick, black eyeliner…and attitude." Her friend suggested.

"Right okay…"

"Gabi, you're gonna do great," Kelsey hugged her.

"I doubt it, but we'll see…"

"Is everything okay with you? You seem kinda sad lately?" Kelsey asked.

"Everything is fine," Gabi smiled faintly. "I just have a lot on my mind…"

"Well, you will date the sexiest guy in school," Kelsey teased. "No wonder you have a lot on your mind…"

/

Math was…boring.

And Geography. Even Art sucked a little.

Everything sucked, Troy realized, unless Gabi was there.

_God he had it bad._

Chad had assured him he wouldn't go after Gabi the way he threatened to and Troy trusted him for now, but he didn't like the way his best friend had turned on him since he'd quit the team.

No-one knew about his home-life- about how his mom and dad couldn't be in the same room without fighting.

_No-one but Gabi._

He had finally coaxed her into being with him and he felt good about that, apart from the fact she was still super-paranoid about who saw them.

Especially when he wanted to take her out somewhere for dinner that evening, after school.

"Hacienda, then," he listed the fourth restaurant they could go to.

Gabi shook her head. "Amelle goes there."

"So what?" He threw his hands up and laughed. "That doesn't mean she'll be in there _tonight_…"

Gabi looked to him and sucked her lower lip. They were on the high street, holding hands and they could go to any one of these restaurants if she didn't have a hang up about being seen. They'd already been seen kissing, right? Everyone knew about the hallway PDA by now…so what difference did it actually make that they saw them out? _Together._

"So, look, if people see us out and dating then you know…there's certain things they think we'll be doing…" She swallowed.

"Like?" He questioned, flummoxed.

"Like going home, making out…"

"Really?" He grinned . "Cool…"

Gabi gave him a look. "Sleeping together..."

"It doesn't matter that we're not," he creased his face at her absurd deduction.

"What if they rib you about it…what if they call me names?" She panicked.

"Well, you won't be Swotty Montez anymore," he lifted his brows and knew he wasn't helping when she sighed.

"You worry too much," he kissed her nose. "Just relax and have fun. Who cares what we do and don't do?"

_I do_, she answered internally. She wanted Friday night to be like anyone else's Ball night- making out, going all the way. But the thing that was missing always ruined everything. And the missing thing was there now- she could feel it. Especially when Troy's hand curled around hers and squeezed or when they kissed, but she still knew Friday was too soon to be trying for anything other than the odd grope.

_How romantic, _she winced at her thoughts. Her first school ball with a date and the best she could hope for was the odd grope. _Perfect._


	12. Catwoman

Lifesuxthenudie- you're back! Yay :D

A big howdee to all my new readers who are keenly saying they will read more of my stuff- makes me a very chuffed writer indeed :D Please review if you can!

And thank you EVERYONE for reviews! You amaze me, every chapter. Thank you for keeping me smiling while I'm not in a smiley place.

**Chapter 12**

Okay, so dinner wasn't _so_ bad.

She could almost pretend her and Troy were exactly what they started out being- strangers who were friends. But the more she got to know him, the more she fell in love with his cute face-pulling, or eye-crossing and the more she wondered about what lay under his clothes.

He was walking her to her door as she stopped him and looked up, licking her lips.

"We're not on the porch yet…" He looked toward the house.

"I don't want my mom spying on us," she shared, tiptoeing to grasp his neck.

"Hey, what's this?" He whispered as her mouth nearly came level to his and then he bent to reach the rest of the way.

She shrugged. "Goodnight?"

She kissed him then, maybe for the first time without his lead and he breathed out as their lips combined and their senses faded everything else out but each other.

He could hold her in his arms and kiss her this way until the cows came home, but he knew they had to bide their time. Neither of them was ready for anything more.

"You really expect me to leave now?" He quipped with a soft smile as she lowered back to the ground.

"My mom might not take kindly to finding you in my room…"

"Well mine wouldn't even notice so if you change your mind, come to my house…"

Gabi smiled softly. "I'd like to come again."

Troy nodded, becoming quiet. "I'll see what I can do."

"What about after the ball? Would your mom let me sleep on the couch?"

"Gabi, you are not sleeping on the couch…" He chuckled.

"The floor then…"

"My bed," he twinkled and she swallowed. "Just to sleep," he added and she nodded.

"See you tomorrow," she kissed his cheek and ran up the path, away from the subject she hated to discuss- them sharing a bed.

But he just wanted to show her that she could do just that- just share a bed- and nothing else had to be an issue.

He waved as she looked through her curtain to see him off.

"_I love you, Gabi Montez." _He whispered_. "I would never hurt you."_

_/_

"Good news," Gabi put her hands on Troy's shoulders as she tip-toed to reach, and then dropped down as he swiveled from his locker.

"Oh?"

He smiled and leaned back, liking seeing her at his locker- something she wouldn't have done two days ago.

"My mom said we could share my room after the ball."

"She did?" Troy raised his brows.

"But she's gonna give you the third degree beforehand…" She warned with a little smile.

Troy nodded. "Right."

"What's wrong?" She frowned, reading his look.

"Uh…I'm not going to go to the ball…"

"What?" Gabi gaped and Troy split into a grin.

"Joke!"

"Troy Bolton!" She gasped and smacked him on the arm- hard.

"Hey, ow!" He chuckled at her mortified look.

"You…" She couldn't find words and he quickly scooped his arms around her to stop her attack.

"You love me really," he teased and she pushed his arms away, checking her high ponytail and perfect mauve ribbon that matched the dogtooth lavender suit she was wearing.

"Who said anything about love..?" She murmured under her breath.

_Who __**did**__ say anything about love? _Gabi pondered as she frowned at his expression. Why did her heart flap excitedly even thinking about it?

She scowled at her thoughts and Troy mis-read her face.

"Uh-oh," he held his hands up in surrender. "Hulk-time…"

Gabi jutted her chin. "It is not hulk-time."

"Oops, my mistake," he smiled disarmingly and she rolled her eyes.

He really _was_ loveable, she mused. Just why couldn't she tell him that?

/

"Ok, tomorrow…" Kelsey sat for lunch with Gabi, doing a double take as she noted Troy's lack of presence. "No boy toy?" She asked Gabi.

Gabi smiled tightly with her mouth full and finished chewing.

"We're not attached at the hip, you know," she told her friend.

"No, at the lips!" Kelsey laughed at her own joke.

"Ha-ha," Gabi dead-panned.

Kelsey rolled her eyes. "You know, you _can _smile now and then…"

Gabi softened. "I'm sorry. I just want to get the ball over and done with…"

"Why?" Kelsey asked with concern.

"Because then I won't have to worry about what Chad says or what the cheerleaders think or-"

"Gabi, come on," Kelsey interrupted. "He chose _you. _Not a cheerleader."

"I know, I know," she nodded. "I'm just being stupid…"

Only she wasn't being stupid, really. Because she would have liked it if her father could have seen her going to her first Ball. And she would have liked it if he could have met Troy and pretended to hate him while he tested if he _really_ liked her and then they would have been friends...or friendly, at least.

But her father wasn't going to be there to do any of that and _she _had to decide if she wanted to see him. Not because she didn't want to see him, but because she didn't want to go into some big, faceless prison and creep through rows of criminals just so her father could tell her the things he should be able to tell her without committing a crime…why should she give up anything for him, she wondered?

She hated that she wanted to go.

She hated that thinking about all this stuff threatened her relationship with Troy. Because if she couldn't trust her own father then who could she trust?

She looked up from her hiding place, the one she had run to after school, and into a blue pair of eyes.

/

"How did you find me?"

He shrugged and took the swing next to her in the children's playground. It was getting dark and they looked like runaways sat there together, Gabi's previously pinned hair now hanging loose down her shoulders.

And that's how Troy knew how she was feeling- by the state of her hair.

"It's where I would go if I was pissed," he offered an answer to her question.

"I'm not pissed," she stated, looking into the gravel where her toe drew a line with battered shoes.

He looked over. "What are you then?"

She sighed. "Okay, maybe I _am_ pissed…"

"I prefer it when you're shouting," he added with a little smile, reaching his hand over boldly.

She looked at his fingers and considered their gentleness and strength. She lay her palm in his and rubbed her lips together as their fingers twined.

"I needed time to think," she explained of her quiet reaction.

"What about?" He broached gently.

"My dad." She admitted, but she felt the tight fear block her lungs. She couldn't possibly tell him now that her father was in prison and that she wanted to visit him because then he would know. He would know she was Terri and the whole ruse would be over.

Troy rubbed her thumb comfortingly but decided not to pursue the subject.

"Are you looking forward to the Ball?" He asked instead.

She smiled at the fact he didn't push her to talk about her feelings.

"I wanted my dad to meet you…" She ventured honestly. "And see me go to my first Ball…"

He looked sideways at her, his fringe flopping down. "I'm sorry that he couldn't be here for you…"

Gabi pressed her lips together and nodded, changing off the subject that could reveal her identity.

"I can't wait to see your costume though."

"Are you ready to go home now?" He checked and she smiled and stood, looking up to him.

"We don't want to be grounded before the ball…"

"So, who are you going as?" His arm brushed hers as he linked their hands again on the way home and it reminded her of that day in the hall he had brushed up against her.

"I'm not telling;" she smiled.

"Oh go on…" He begged.

"Nope."

"I'll get you at eight," he told her as they came up her path.

"I'll be ready," she assured softly, leaning forward to hug him around the middle and Troy frowned, slowly enclosing his arms around her.

That was the first time she'd actually hugged him, he mused. He pressed his chin to her hair.

"Hmm, nice ending to the night…" He smiled.

Gabi pulled away. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

He twisted his lips. "No, it's okay. I have to face it sometime," he smirked ruefully of home.

"Text me later…" She added just before he turned down her path.

"He's not staying for dinner?" Jenna asked wistfully behind Gabi as she opened the front door.

Gabi turned her eyes up to her mother. "Mom, do you have the hots for my boyfriend?"

Jenna's brows rose. "Oh, boyfriend now?"

Gabi sighed and went inside. "Please don't…" She begged with a smile.

"It's just nice to see you happy…" Jenna admitted as she followed.

"Well, there's something you should know," Gabi said as she faced her mother and Jenna's brows rose.

Gabi licked her lips. "I think I should see Dad…"

"Oh," Jenna's brows rose another notch. "Okay." She agreed lightly.

Gabi breathed out. "I think you should get me a pass. So I can go next time."

Jenna smiled and threw her arms around her child. "I'm glad you've decided to see him."

"Troy helped me decide," Gabi admitted, even though he didn't know about it. His silent support today had been enough to convince her she had to do this for herself, if no-one else.

"Then I'm glad you have him," she cupped Gabi's face. "Now are you hungry?"

Gabi's hopeful smile answered her mother's question.

/

"Cat woman?" Troy's mouth gaped. "You got Cat woman?"

Troy- dressed as Batman- couldn't seem to shut his mouth or stop staring.

"Don't look at me like that," she blushed under his gaze as it travelled up and down her curves.

"Gabi…"

"Don't say it," she commanded, pushing his shoulder to get him out of the way so they could start to get to the dance.

Seemingly being behind her was even more distracting for her boyfriend.

"Wow," he whispered as he watched her walk.

"Stop staring at my ass," she chided.

He lifted his brows. "You have to admit this is a little different to what you usually wear…"

Gabi swallowed and turned, flicking her eyes down his own super-hero outfit. His shoulders looked broader with the fake chest-piece. His eyes were bluer as the blackout under his mask highlighted them. And she was sure his lips were more kissable now that half of his face was obscured by a mask.

"Well yours is too, but you don't see me making a big deal…"

He lifted his arm and flexed it, waggling his brows. "How about that? Anything yet?" He begged cutely and she collapsed into giggles.

"That wasn't supposed to be funny…" He irked a brow.

She came close and flattened her palm to his cheek. "You're so cute."

"Not hunky?" He flexed his bicep again. "_Anything?_" He whined.

She smiled. "Nothing."

He slouched in disappointment.

She pressed her palms to his plastic chest cage that formed part of his costume. "Can we please just get into the truck?"

He nodded. "Good idea."


	13. Terri

This is the chapter you have all been waiting for! Don't forget to review :D

**Chapter 13**

"I can't go in there."

Gabi froze in the parking lot of East High and gulped as she watched students filing in, all wearing their designated costumes.

"Why not?" Troy asked bemusedly coming up beside her.

"Because you can see _everything_!" She panicked as she looked down on herself, suddenly having doubts about her skin-tight costume.

Troy smiled slowly. "I know."

"You're not helping," she looked at him irritably.

"Gabi," his hand touched her back and she twisted in surprise at his touch, and then relaxed as his blue eyes fixed on hers. "You look great."

She grabbed her tail and clutched it to her chest. "But all those girls…they all have _boobs_...and I have…" She looked down again and swallowed. _Nothing._

"You have an amazing figure," Troy assured, then cleared his throat as she stared at him with wide open eyes. "What?" He added as her look unnerved him.

"A guy who's not bothered about a girl's rack, I never thought I'd see the day…" She murmured as she began walking again, dropping her tail.

"Hey…" He jogged after her and wrapped her tail around his hand, possessively. "Here, Kitty," he grinned as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"Oh you did not just do that," she groaned of his joke; but secretly, deep inside, she delighted at his claiming of her, even in this small way.

"You got your woman on a leash, Bolton…" Chad greeted them both. "What's the matter? Cat in heat?"

Troy blinked his eyes and stepped up to his friend, chest to chest as he snarled but Gabi quickly brought him back.

"Troy, lets go inside," she begged with a firm voice she didn't feel belonged to her.

For three more seconds he stood, broad and protective and she panicked it would all go horribly wrong right before her eyes; but then she saw him sag in defeat.

"Fine," he answered her but squinted at Chad and said. "You'll wait."

"Whoa!" Jason Cross looked Gabi up and down as she and Troy queued for punch.

"Watch it, Jason," Troy reminded his friend.

"I just said she looks good," Jason held his hands up in surrender.

"Thank you," Gabi blushed awkwardly.

"Wel-come…" Jason wolf whistled as he walked by and checked out her ass and she rolled her eyes and folded her arms in annoyance.

"I knew I shouldn't have worn this…" She muttered.

"Oh I don't know, I'm quite enjoying this moment…" Troy smiled and she swiped him.

"Pervert." She accused.

"I meant more for your discomfort…" He joked.

"Oh, thanks. And you're meant to be my friend…"

He leaned against her arm. "A little more, I hope."

"Don't bank on it," she flicked her eyes away.

"Seriously though, this is like…you, but on the flip side…it's like you have two personalities or something…"

Gabi swallowed at his deduction and felt the drowning wall of fear threaten her breathing again.

"I'm going to the rest room," she decided quickly, wanting to avoid talking to Troy about his theory or anything even remotely related to it.

_Shit, shit shit!_

She couldn't keep lying to him. He had to know the truth.

She didn't exactly plan to tell him tonight- like this- but if anything happened after the ball she wanted it to be because he knew all of her, not just the her he saw in school every day.

She didn't know why she was so afraid of his reaction; really, he'd told her everything he'd told Terri anyway. So the fear was more for her side. That she had confided in him as a stranger but not as a friend and it was _that_ she worried he wouldn't deal with.

Which also meant she had to tell him about her dad…_Great._

_/_

Gabi came out of the rest room and took a deep breath.

Telling Troy was never going to be easy but he deserved to know…He deserved her trust, she acknowledged.

She saw his back- covered by a black cape and she came up behind him to tug on it.

"Hi," her smile was small.

"Hey," his lips split into a smile. "Where were you?"

"Having a crisis," she admitted.

"What about?" He squinted in concern, his hand going to her arm to cup it and she winced as she realized she may never have this again- Troy, being Troy.

She took a breath. "There's something you should know…"

"I've heard this before," he quirked a brow, remembering her speech after their fight.

"I told you there was a lot to know…" She attempted to lighten the mood.

"Okay…" He prompted.

"I-"

"What Gabi is trying to tell you, Troy-boy," Chad slinked up behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck, making her frown. "Is that she's pretending to be someone she's not…"

"What?" Troy squinted at Chad and then looked to Gabi. "Gabi?"

"I'm trying to tell you-" she beseeched, only to be cut off again as Chad tightened his arm.

"Oh, let me," he insisted and Gabi elbowed his ribs to remove him from her side but he only wandered over to Troy when he was freed.

"I'm trying to talk to my girlfriend if you hadn't noticed," Troy told his friend impatiently.

"Do you know a girl called Terri?" Chad enquired and Troy swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing up and down as his hurt eyes were forced to focus on his friend.

"No."

"Sure you do…advice site? Talk to Terri?" He asked and Troy frowned.

"What's he talking about?" Troy looked past Chad to Gabi and Gabi opened her mouth to speak.

"You're looking right at her," Chad answered for her and she closed her eyes in pain.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Troy asked Chad.

"Ask your girlfriend, Bolton. After all _she's_ the one who's been lying to you…"

"No, that's not true," she denied. "I didn't know it was you. I didn't know you were BlueEyes."

"Terri?" He squinted, barely imagining it.

"Tezzy G…Tezzy-Montez…G- Gabriella…" She explained, waiting for him to click.

He opened his mouth and shut it. Then opened it again only to shut it again. When he opened it a third time she took a breath in.

Troy frowned as the truth wound around his head and threatened to explode his brains.

"If you didn't know I was BlueEyes, how do you know now? You don't look surprised…" His curiosity got the better of him.

Gabi sighed and swallowed and glared at Chad. "You didn't have to do this," she whispered to him and then came past the black boy to look Troy in the face.

"He's my friend," Chad spat as she came by. "Unlike you."

She ignored his jibe and grasped Troy's hands. "I…I kind of worked it out…" She admitted finally of her lack of reaction to the news that shocked him so deeply. "And I was coming out to tell you, so that tonight you knew _exactly _who you were going out with…"

"But _he_ got to me first," he said of Chad, his tone cynical and it frightened her.

"This doesn't change anything. I'm still the same person…the same person you are when you're with me or online…"

His frown deepened. "Your father…" He suddenly clicked and her face fell.

"Is in prison," she admitted on a murmur.

"But you didn't tell me that, Terri did…"

"I thought I was talking to a stranger!" She defended, losing battle with her lungs as her world folded in.

"That hurts," he cast out on a raw throat. "You feel like you can tell a stranger but you can't tell me?" He asked, louder, angrier. "That really hurts, Gabi…"

"I'm sorry okay!" Tears began to stream down her cheeks and her black eye make-up went with them. "I didn't mean to hurt you…"

"Did you think that I couldn't handle it?" He accused, pulling his hands from hers as though they had burned him and he staggered back, looking at her like he didn't know her.

"No! I told you, _no-one_ knows about him…" She begged, forcing her sobs back down inside while she urged him to understand. "I told you about the gun." She added pointedly.

"But you told BlueEyes he was in prison, not me." He said with glittering eyes and a knowing nod.

"Troy…" She beseeched.

"Nice to know where I stand in your list of important people," he ground out and turned to go.

"Troy, you _are_ important! I was going to tell you! Tonight…"

He turned and gave her a cold glare over his shoulder. "You're too late." He said and vanished into the crowd, leaving Gabi to wrap her arms around her middle and control the sobs that racked her body now she had let them escape their prison.

"Aw, oh dear…" Chad coochy-cooed her and she swallowed and hiccupped through her tears. "Never mind…" He consoled quietly and she glared at him.

"Go away, Chad," she instructed on a sobbing voice.

"I told you I'd get you back," he smirked. "Payback is a bitch."

Gabi collapsed to her knees and cried out her pain until her friends came to her rescue- the true superheroes that night.

/

"It's going to be okay," Kelsey stroked Gabi's hair back as she lay on her side, prone and unseeing.

"He'll come round," Ryan added comfortingly as his girlfriend looked at him pointedly to add a comment.

"You didn't see him.. ." Gabi's voice was sore from the rawness of her throat and a couple more silent tears slipped down her face.

"He was just angry- don't you get angry and then realize the next day how stupid it was?" Ryan enquired and Kelsey frowned at him in reprimand.

"What he means is, Troy will think about what happened and cool down…" She rephrased, stroking Gabi's arm, seriously concerned about her friend's level of upset.

"Yeah, exactly," Ryan echoed.

"What if he doesn't?" She posed. "What if he hates me forever?"

Kelsey sighed. "He won't…"

"I lied to him, Kels," she rolled up and turned her red-rimmed eyes on her friends. "I shouldn't have lied and I did…I would be angry too."

"But you would forgive him," she insisted.

"I should have told him everything about my dad," she added in a murmur and lay back down.

"Your dad?" Ryan enquired, surprised to hear Gabi mention the father that had apparently abandoned her.

"It doesn't matter," she sighed, closing her eyes.

"Look, don't wallow all day," Kelsey advised. "Have a cry, get up, have a shower, put on your best Monroe dress and shoes and come out with us…"

"I just don't feel like it," Gabi apologized as she focused on her friends again. "But thank you."

"I'm not letting you waste your weekend crying over a boy…" Kelsey assured.

"He's not just a boy," Gabi argued. "I'm in love with him."

"What?" Kelsey looked surprised while Ryan was aware of this fact.

"It's not over," Ryan pointed out.

"Not over by a long shot…" Kelsey added.

/

_This is not over by a long shot._

Why did everything have to remind her of Troy, she wondered?

She hadn't put on her best dress, actually she'd just grabbed a purple pinafore dress and teamed it with some white strapped shoes and scraped her hair into some kind of ballerina bun that betrayed her love of volume but what was a girl to do when she was heart-broken and forced out of the house?

"Sit here…" Kelsey led her to a booth in Betty's and sat her down like she was an invalid or an old person._ Or maybe an invalided old person_, she mused.

"Right," she sighed and sat.

"See? The world hasn't ended. Earth is not going to implode just because you told one teeny, tiny white lie…people are still breathing…life goes on," she assured as she slipped in opposite her and let Ryan order the shakes.

Gabi looked up, dully. "_My_ life doesn't go on." She pointed out.

"Sure it does," Kelsey carried on without pausing. "Have the dessert menu…"

"Sure, make me fat, too. Fat and a liar, great combination…"

Kelsey licked her lips as she waited for Ryan to ferry their drinks over and when he came she gave him a wide eyed look.

"Do you want to do something later?" He asked lightly and Kelsey rolled her eyes at his approach.

"I don't want to do something now but you made me;" she derided of their outing.

"Oh. Well, I was just asking. Breakfast at Tiffany's is showing at the Drive-In…" He tempted and she actually looked up.

"Really?"

"Yep," Ryan nodded once.

Gabi's face saddened. "I could have gone with Troy…If I hadn't messed things up…"

"Then call him," Kelsey struck while the iron was hot.

"He won't talk to me let alone go on a date," Gabi accused.

"How do you know?" Kelsey sipped her drink non chalantly. "Have you tried?"

"I texted him," Gabi shared.

"Oh, wow," Kelsey smirked. "You need to do more than that…"

"Like not lie in the first place?"

"It's not the lie that's the problem," she pointed out. "You need to tell him about your dad."

Gabi frowned sulkily. "No-one knows about my dad."

"Well, he does. Cos you told him. You may not have _known_ you were telling him, but you told him all the same…"

"So I just march round there and tell him I'm screwed up because my dad was put away and I'm even more crazy than usual because the ass-hole asked to see me?" She shouted angrily.

Kelsey looked to Ryan and so did Gabi.

He shrugged. "Well…yeah…"

"Ugh," Gabi threw her arms down and hid in them.

"Don't hide…" Kelsey chided.

"Why not? At least no-one can see my screwed-up, lying face down here…" Gabi's voice was muffled as she spoke.

There was no further response from her friends and she frowned, thinking it was strange they hadn't commented on her dramatics but she sighed in the knowledge they had fed of her wallowing.

"Do you think he'll _ever _speak to me again?" She asked into her arms.

_Silence._

"Guys?"

She looked up for a response and jerked in surprise as a male figure filled the seat opposite and her friends were nowhere to be seen,

"What happened?" She asked Troy suspiciously.

His thumb rubbed along the skin below his lower lip.

"I came in for breakfast and your friends said you wanted to talk to me so I sat down…"

"They said…" She echoed, then closed her eyes. "I will _kill _Kelsey…" She muttered.

"So you don't?" He frowned. "Want to talk to me?"

"_Are_ you talking to me?" She wondered, looking at him in more detail now she felt brave enough to.

He looked pissed. Really pissed. And she didn't blame him.

"Honestly? I'd rather not…at least not for a while, while I process all of this." He pressed his lips together and she nodded with a painful swallow.

"Okay, alright," she nodded, trying so hard to be brave and swiping at her tears with annoyance.

_Not now! _She told her emotions. _Don't cry now, it just makes me look pathetic!_

Troy fidgeted uncomfortably and slid across the booth seat to stand. He paused and licked his lips.

"Look, don't cry okay? It's not…just don't cry…" He begged and she nodded, pasting on a smile and licking her lips before she wiped her tears away, holding them down while his broken blue eyes flicked over her.

"Okay," she managed a nod.

"Gabi…"

She covered her eyes and let her tears fall, but hid her face from his view.

"I'm sorry!" She bawled an apology. "It's okay, really! Just go…I get it, you can go," she assured.

She heard his sigh and saw his hands drive into his pockets as he fought his conscience, finally deciding to leave.

"I'll see you around," he said before he turned away.

"_I love you_," she whispered to his back.

"What did you say?" He turned back and demanded gently.

"Huh?" Gabi gulped and looked up. "Nothing, I said nothing…"

He squinted, not believing her, but he turned again and finished his exit; leaving her destroyed.

_Nice job, Gabi, _she chided herself.


	14. Walk Away

Zanessalives- Ah thankies!

Midnight- Yay someone liked it lol

Nikki – Troy did suspect Gabi was Terri when they argued but when they made up he sorta forgot about it all again lol

Batzmary- seriously, thank you! You are right on every point ;)

Fudge- Yup

Dyeitrouge I am so glad you said it made you cry, not because I want you to cry, but because I love that you took the journey with Gabriella!

Mindsetx-That whole chapter was meant to represent the truly heartbreaking and hurtful things that happen in school that when you look back, really seem pathetic lol. And how things always feel such a big deal when in reality its nothing :) I hope that came across! Also, the insecurity thing is something else I'm channeling into my story…this Gabi was always going to be flawed.

MariaTyler- I wouldn't have it any other way

StarsWalkBackward- You're welcome!

Keyonna13c- that's being a teenager right? Drama!

Jadiee- I concur.

Addy- G'day

Nomoremeangirls- Indeed

Lexie3399- OK! One more chapter after this.

Bluebell :(

Hisboo- loving the Brit accent! I love your review it made me lol!

Fishing- yep

AthenaGray15- Thank you!

Hsmfan1531- Nooo don't be embarrassed I'm really chuffed! I love that my story moved you! And I'm even more glad you shared that.

Bookworm- lol ;)

**Chapter 14**

Okay, that was a stupid thing to do.

_Why did you walk away? _

Troy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He had no clue as to the answer to that question.

_She said 'I love you', _he reminded himself- as though he had thought about anything else since he had left the diner and come home to contemplate the whole awkward incident in slow-motion replay whilst laying on his bed.

He loved her, too. That made it doubly hard, both to walk away, and to forgive her. Because she had lied to him and she hadn't confided in him and both of those things made him doubt her.

_The situation with her dad is pretty screwed up, _the angel on his shoulder added.

_But she betrayed you, _the devil counter-argued.

Walking away had been the single hardest thing he'd ever done. Harder than quitting the team, harder than facing his best friend every day while he hated his guts for quitting, harder than catching up from a fail to a B in Math, harder than he'd ever expected.

The moment she'd melted into tears, he'd wanted to kiss her. _Well, maybe hold her until she stopped crying and then kiss her_, he amended mentally.

But either way, his instinct to protect her came out strong and true in that diner and he cursed himself for ever sitting down in the first place.

"_**Are** you talking to me?"_

God, it killed him to hear her ask him that. Of _course _he was talking to her...he just couldn't. Not right now. In time, he would understand this better and be able to discuss it, possibly even salvage their friendship from the fire, but right now he needed time.

_You don't have time_, his angel counseled.

_Let her suffer, _his devil argued.

"Shut up!" He put his hands over his ears and rolled up off the bed.

Okay, he wasn't going to see her, he was just going to go for a walk and if he passed by her house then so be it. It didn't mean she'd be in or that he had to stop or whatever. It was just to get out of the house and think.

/

"Is Gabi in?"

_Coward, _his devil accused as he waited for Jenna to rouse her daughter.

"Shut up," he whispered to his invisible conscience.

"I didn't say anything…" Gabi's brow irked up as she clung to the door- dressed in pale blue pajama's printed with ice creams, her hair ponytailed but sleek and curly. Beautiful, pretty much.

"Not you… ah…" He looked around for an excuse and couldn't find one.

"Are you okay?" She wondered, seeing as it was already nine o'clock and dark outside and her mother had asked what the hell he was doing there at this late hour, much to her surprise and confusion combined.

"Uh…no, not really…" He frowned and she waited for him to continue.

He stepped back and jerked his head, signaling for her to come out onto the porch and she sighed, following him outside where she immediately folded her arms against the cold.

Troy walked towards the swing chair and slipped his cardigan off, handing it to her while he gazed out, not making eye contact and not sitting either.

"Thank you," she accepted the gift and wrapped it around herself.

He walked over to the railing of the veranda and she followed.

"So, what's up?" She asked lightly, but he didn't miss the husk in her sore throat from crying.

"I…I walked out today and I shouldn't have," he ventured with a confused frown.

"Oh," she swallowed. "Well I understand why you did…"

He looked over to her.

"I've never wanted to hold someone more than I wanted to hold you when I saw you crying…"

Gabi's brows lifted, but words didn't come, her tears were back and she cursed her stupid emotions. She licked her lips and took a breath, preparing to answer.

"Is it too late?" Troy spoke again before she could and she considered that should be her line.

"Too late for what?" She checked.

"To hold you?" He asked and took his hands out of his pockets to show he meant it. He stepped forward a step and faltered as she remained frozen in place. "Gabi?"

_Oh god, it wasn't too late_, she sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung on for dear life, sobbing into his shoulder as every minute of hurt relived in this moment- the moment he forgave her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, stroking a hand down her hair as his other arm held her tightly to him and his lips whispered and kissed her hair in between. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's my fault," she whispered back, sniffling but not letting go. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I walked away," he told her as she pulled back and his blue eyes met hers. "That's not _me. _That's not something I would do."

"But you had every right to."

He tilted his head and licked his lips, sighing before he spoke again.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" He wondered of her alter-ego.

Gabi lifted her chin and took a steadying breath, stepping back as the moment went form comforting to serious.

"I was afraid," she admitted. "Not of what you would think or anything like that…well maybe a little of that," she conceded with a twist of her lips.

"What else?" He prompted.

"I was afraid of how much I had fallen for you." She offered a little pained smile as another tear rolled down her face.

"How is that something to be afraid of?" He wondered, knowing he had fallen for her too and he didn't care how hard or who knew about it.

"Because the most important man in my life let me down, Troy. And you're not my father, _thank god, _you're nothing like him, but when he asked to see me, it just blew my whole world into a crazy mess…"

He nodded, considering this. "You should have just told me."

"BlueEyes was just there in _that_ moment," she explained further. "It was after we went to the diner and we had literally _just _said goodnight and I thought-_stupidly_- that by contacting you, I would just look like I was depending on you or something and I didn't want to depend on you for anything…especially when you have so much going on, too."

Troy cupped her face. "Gabi, you can tell me anything, anytime okay? I don't care if my mom just burned the house down just to spite my dad; I want you to call if you need me, okay?"

She looked into his earnest blue eyes and nodded, sucking her lower lip.

"Really, you think she'd do that?" She asked and he sighed and smiled.

"Nothing is out of the realms of possibility," he stated.

"Huh," she lifted her brows in surprise.

He squinted. "Do you promise?" He asked, then added. "To tell me if you need me?"

She licked her lips.

"I…are you saying…can we be friends, do you think?" She ventured finally finding her words.

Troy let his thumbs brush over her cheeks and over her jaw. "I thought we were more than that?" He challenged with a brow-raise.

"But I-"

"There's always a but…" He teased.

"You can't just forgi-"

"Too late," he shrugged.

"You said it was too late last time," she beseeched.

"Don't listen to me," he quipped. "What do I know?"

"You know that I hurt you and that I ruined everything…" She supplied trying to drag him back down a road he had no interest in travelling again.

"I also forgive you," he added. "Can we move on, please?" His smile was slow.

"This isn't funny," she begged.

"Nope, not funny at all," he leaned down, his hands still framing her face as he brought her lips to his and executed the kiss he'd wanted to since that afternoon in the diner.

"Gabi? Is Troy staying the night?" Jenna's voice drifted out from the house. "Because if he is can you please come inside and shut the door, it's freezing out there…"

"That's my cue to go," he sighed and quickly hugged her.

"You don't want to stay?" She wondered.

"Ah…I don't know…isn't it a bit…soon?" He squinted.

Gabi shrugged. "Just to sleep."

His lips twitched with a smile he didn't hide for long. "I'd like that."

"Get inside then before I make any more momentous, idiotic mistakes…"

/

Ok, so this should be freaking her out right now. This…sleeping with a boy _thing_.

Of course, Troy had started off on the floor of her room and then when Jenna had gone to bed, he'd relocated to her roomy double and lolled in the space beside her, just happy to hold hands and talk until late.

And then she had woken up, spooned by Troy's body and protected by his arms and her tummy had flipped at how special she had felt in that moment.

But she wasn't freaking out.

She liked it.

A little happy smile played across her lips as she thought about how they'd made up and the kisses they might share today as a new dawn broke.

Gabi was no longer just the geek who didn't get a seat on the bus.

She was Troy's girlfriend and she was _invincible_!

"Gabriella Anne Montez…" Jenna called through the open door as she flicked a look in and caught the scene.

Gabi rolled her eyes.

_Obviously invincibility didn't include parents._

-/-

"Nothing happened," Gabi told her mother with a sigh as she followed her down into the kitchen, leaving Troy to sleep in.

"I believe you but that doesn't mean you didn't break my rule…"

"We just talked," she defended with one of her famous eye-rolls. "Is that the crime of the century?"

"No, but having a boy in your bed is." Jenna chided as she went about making pancakes.

"We _just_ slept!" Gabi pulled open the fridge door with a flourish and quickly caught the orange juice that tried to jump out. She carried it to the counter and pulled two glasses down to fill them.

"But I said no boys on the bed," Jenna reiterated.

"Okay, fine. Punish me," Gabi welcomed.

Jenna twisted to watch her take the glasses to the table, then set up the mats and knives and forks for breakfast.

"Go and wake Troy up, we'll talk about punishment later…"

"Oh, great, prolong the agony…"

"Hey…" Troy's warm, sleepy voice accompanied his-eye-rubbing form into the kitchen where his smile was slow and happy.

Gabi twisted and swallowed. Would he still like her today_, _she wondered?

"Hi." She smiled just a little.

He came over and planted an affectionate hand on her head, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Where'd you go? I missed you…"

"My mom," she reminded him with a wide-eyed look as her mother hovered in the background by the stove.

"Oh…oh yeah," he frowned and turned, blushing. "Hi Mrs…I mean…Jenna…"

"Good Morning Troy…" Jenna greeted with one of those parental looks Gabi dreaded.

"Uh…how are you this morning?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I was fine until I saw you sharing my daughter's bed," Jenna admitted and Gabi groaned and sat down, hiding her head in her arms like always.

"Oh…uh…" Troy's brows lifted and he cleared his throat. "I…I'm sorry?" He finally offered.

Jenna sighed out and brought over a plate of cooked pancakes and laid them down.

"I guess it won't hurt just this once…"

Gabi looked up, shocked. "Really?"

Jenna flicked a look at them both. "_Just_ this once," she repeated.

Troy stood and rubbed his neck until she gave him permission to sit and then he flicked a look to Gabi.

"Are…you okay?" He asked, hesitantly, but taking pancakes at a faster rate, much to her amusement.

"Yep. Are you?" She asked back.

"I had a good sleep," his smile was never far away.

"Me too," she smiled back, meeting his eyes.

"What are we doing today?" He asked.

"I have so much homework to do," she sighed.

"Boring," he twinkled as she swiped him. "What? It _is_," he grumbled.

"May I remind you that's _why_ you were flunking?" She asked lightly as they ate.

"No, you may not," he counter-acted.

"Troy, I'll give you a ride home after breakfast," Jenna came over to the table and he looked up.

"Okay…Thank you…" He watched her leave the room and he smiled, leaning toward Gabi.

"What are you doing?" She gave him one of her looks.

"Kiss?" He lifted his brows at her ignorance.

"What if she walks back in, mastermind?" Gabi argued.

"Oh, come on…" He whined, reaching out to play with her hair. "Just one, teeny, _tiny_, little hello kiss…"

She pursed her lips and stared at him, his eyes begging, his face handsome as ever.

"Fine, okay," she sighed and leaned across to quickly peck his lips. "Hello."

"Oh, that hurts," he leaned back in his chair and sprawled. "No love in this house…"

Gabi blushed and looked down to her plate, avoiding talking about her awkwardness further.

It wasn't until they were out on the porch and she curled up on the swing seat that he came over to sit beside her and curl his arm around her; that she spoke again.

"So…" She swallowed, not sure how to broach the subject on her mind.

"So," he said back, rubbing her arm and looking out.

"I told my mom to get me a pass to visit my dad…"

"You did?" He looked down, and then kissed her hair. "That's great."

"And I think you kinda helped me to decide to go so I was wondering if…"

"If?" He frowned at her half-sentence and she looked up, licking her lips.

"If you would go with me."

Troy's face softened and he leaned forward to kiss her nose. "I'd be honored."

Gabi giggled at his expression. "You're so weird…"

He arched his brow. "But you love me..?"

She looked up, held a breath in her lungs and faced the question she had considered before.

"But I love you," she repeated in a soft, scared voice as her timid eyes met his and she pushed her glasses up her nose while she waited for his response.

He actually beamed in relief and she wondered how it was that a guy like him could feel so vulnerable about how she felt.

"Good, because I love you, too," he said, right before leaning over to kiss her on the mouth; a kiss that Gabi considered may be the best one yet. Mostly because her tummy flipped and her heart skipped a beat and every cell in her body cheered at being able to kiss him again at all; let alone with hesitant tongues and those special words between them.

"I thought you were leaving," Jenna quipped drily as she came onto the porch with her car keys.

Troy broke away and swallowed, his eyes glued to Gabi's for long seconds.

"I've outstayed my welcome…" his eyes sparkled with humour and Gabi looked to her mother with a half pleading, half killer glare.

"See you at school," Gabi said when Jenna folded her arms and patiently waited.

Troy grinned and jogged over to Jenna. "Sorry, I'll get out of your hair now…"

"Sure," she said knowingly as she led him to the car.


	15. Love

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your reviews were amazing :D I am so glad you enjoyed it. Well this is the last chapter and I will be posting LOVe next :)

Cncgrad- The reason I didn't drag it out was because I've read a lot of stories where that's happened and I didn't want to do the predictable thing, same with a make-over, just in my opinion I felt its been overdone a little! But I get that it would have added some tension and suspense to the story.

Authors I have been reading lately: RunninEqualsLife, The Amy Johnson & Lexie 3399 – check them out.

**Chapter 15**

"Well…how did it go?" Kelsey asked first thing on Monday morning. "Did it work?"

"What you abandoning me in the diner?" Gabi quipped and licked her lips.

"He was right there, Gabi, what did you want me to do?" Kelsey swallowed; secretly worrying her plan had backfired at Gabi's clipped tone.

Gabi sighed, then let her lips curve into a smile. "It worked."

"It did?" Kelsey shrieked and hugged her, jumping up and down. "Eeek!"

"Okay, okay, watch the hair!" Gabi giggled and unwrapped her friend's arms from her neck.

Kelsey smiled at Gabi's fitted pinafore dress and her half-up, half down hair.

"You look amazing. Like always." Her friend assured.

"Where's Ryan today?" Gabi enquired and Kelsey looked over her shoulder, outing her boyfriend who was hiding at the end of the row of lockers.

"He wanted to make sure you weren't mad before he came over," Kelsey told her and Gabi opened her mouth in indignant shock.

"I'm not that bad!" She gasped.

Kelsey raised her brow.

"Okay I _am_ that bad," Gabi mumbled in acceptance.

"That bad at what?" Troy joined the little group in the hallway, rearranging his bag on his shoulder.

"Being angry," Kelsey supplied.

"Is she angry?" Ryan chipped in and Kelsey assured him she wasn't.

"But she's beautiful when she is," Troy grinned and her friends looked at her pointedly, making her blush.

"Oh, whatever charmer," she dismissed his compliment. "Don't we have Math?"

"Yep," he stood, clutching his bag strap and made no effort to move.

"So, can we go?" She lifted her brows.

"Nope."

"Why not?" She wondered, bemused.

"Because you haven't said hello yet…"

Gabi knew exactly what his brand of hello was and she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh god, this could get disgusting," Kelsey grabbed Ryan by his shirt front and dragged him away and Troy stepped up to Gabi and lifted a shoulder shyly.

"Do I get a hello?" He checked.

Gabi pursed her lips and then quickly tiptoed to allow him a kiss to the mouth.

"That was granny Bolton hello," he chided and she giggled, reaching her hand out to cup his neck and allow him another longer, but simple kiss.

"That's my girl," he husked, pressing his forehead to hers with a mischievous smile. "Wanna bunk class?"

"No!" She giggled and swiped him.

"Hey, kitten," Chad called with a wink at Gabi as he passed by them in the hallway.

"Hey, idiot," she called back with a wan smile and Troy chuckled and looped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her hair.

_And so the day began._

/-/-/-/

_A few weeks later…_

"Hey, Dad."

Gabi stood beside his table and swallowed at the sight of his cuffed wrists laying on the table.

George Montez looked up and broke into an emotional smile, dropping his hands into his lap.

"You came…"

"I brought a friend," she looked behind her to indicate a boy waiting by the doors. "My boyfriend, actually," she amended, still surprised at those words.

"Well, bring him over," George invited. "I'd like to meet him…"

Gabi looked at him and nodded, waving Troy over.

"Hey," Troy greeted her again, and then nervously looked to her father. "Mr. Montez, it's good to meet you…" He held forth his hand.

"Not exactly a place I would have liked to meet my daughter's boyfriend," George lifted his chained hands and shook Troy's. "But that's my fault, not yours…"

Troy swallowed and slid into a seat beside Gabi, sprawling back and resting his hand on the back of Gabi's chair.

"So how long have you been dating?" George wondered.

"Ah…about two months." Troy answered when Gabi remained quiet.

George nodded looking to his daughter. "How did you meet?"

Gabi pressed her lips in, not at all sure how she felt about seeing her father, in this prison, cuffed and tired-looking. There were prisoners at each table, meeting family. She darted her eyes around until they came back to him.

"We were made Lab partners," she relayed.

"Right," George nodded, looking back to Troy. "And you look after my girl?"

Troy smirked. "She really doesn't need any help in that respect," he mused and George smiled.

"Still got that temper, Gabriella?" He asked Gabi.

"It's Gabi, now," she replied softly and Troy looked over at her and lay his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"And yes, I guess I do have my moments…"

"She kicks ass, Mr. Montez," Troy assured.

"Well, glad to know it," It was George's turn to swallow at the awkward silence. "I-"

"What's it like in here?" Gabi's eyes rose to his, their matching brown orbs meeting.

"Hell," George admitted. "Don't ever break the law, kid," he sighed.

"I'm not about to," she quipped, frowning.

"Well, good for you. That's one thing you won't inherit from your old man…"

"Why did you do it, Dad?" The tears began that she couldn't stop and when George shifted to comfort her, she fidgeted back to show she didn't want him to.

He propped his elbows on the table and pressed his thumbs into his forehead

"Well…I made a mistake…"

"A _gun_, dad?" She beseeched.

"I know," he looked up again. "The guy was a client and he left some stuff in the car he left to get fixed at the garage, but it went missing. He took it out on me. He threatened to hurt you and he threatened to hurt your mother and there was no way I was going to let that happen, so I bought a gun…"

Gabi swallowed, listening for the first time to his explanation.

"I didn't know he was going to show up at the house, god, I almost killed him with my bare hands but you were due back from the bowling alley so I told him to go outside…we went into the alley and he told me he knew where you went to school, who your friends were- everything. He wouldn't have let it go, Gabriella," George beseeched.

"What was I meant to do? Let him hurt you and your friends? I had nothing to do with the gear he was peddling but when I shot him, I sank to his level and I'll never forgive myself for that…I'll never forgive myself for losing_ you_…"

"When you shot him, you changed everything," she whispered, rubbing tears away as Troy shifted up and cuddled her, stroking her hair.

"You okay?" He murmured and she nodded at him gratefully, turning her attention back to her father.

"We moved towns, my friends disowned me- I couldn't tell anyone _why_ I moved and why you were gone," she accused. "You were just gone."

"I know, princess," George had his own tears gathering. "I miss you so much…"

Gabi stood from her seat and came round to throw her arms about his neck.

"I missed you, too," she told him.

He managed a smile. "Tell me about you…" He begged.

Gabi sat back down and began to recount her life in Albuquerque, telling him everything from when she moved there and how Troy had gotten involved in her life, the best part of her story George mused as every time she mentioned his name or looked at him, her eyes shone with happiness.

"I think I owe you," George told the boy as Gabi stood to say goodbye.

Troy shrugged, sliding his hands in his pockets. "Nah, I didn't do anything…"

"See you soon, dad," Gabi hugged him again, around the middle so he could lift his shackled hands and hug her back.

"You don't know how good it feels to hear you say that…"

"Take care," she begged with a concerned frown.

"I'm a Montez, remember?" he smiled. "I can look after myself."

She pursed her lips as her smile appeared. "I know."

George watched as she turned to go, Troy shadowing her small body and then something happened. The tall boy took his hand out of his pocket and touched his fingertips to Gabi's, where she looked up to him and linked their fingers.

_Thank you, _he made out her words and he sighed happily at the sight.

At least he knew she was okay, he mused.

"Time to go back, George," his guard told him.

"You see that beautiful girl right there?" George lifted his chin towards the door. "That's my girl, Jenkins. That's my daughter. I'm so proud of her."

/

_Dear Gabriella,_

_I'll always call you that because you're my Gabriella and I'll never forget that name._

_I'm so glad you came to visit me, you really put the sunshine into my week and I can't wait to see you again, if you feel like coming._

_I'm proud of you, baby. You're doing real good at school and Mom said you behave real well and I don't approve of boys in the house, but I liked Troy. I like him a lot._

_I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did. But now you know I did it to protect you…so I'm wrong, but I'd do it all again to stop you being hurt._

_I love you._

_Dad._

"_Dear father…"_ Gabi started her letter out loud. "Thank you for your letter; this is the first time I ever wrote back so sorry for the late reply…"

She looked over to Troy as he played on his video game in his room, his tongue poked into the side of his lips in deep concentration. She rolled her eyes affectionately at him as she composed her reply.

"Troy is playing some stupid video game and quite frankly, he's a loser so I might drop him for another boy…" Her narration brought his gaze up, a few seconds later.

"You're gonna drop me?" His hurt eyes beseeched and she smiled in pure happiness.

"Oh, you're listening then?"

"Of course I'm listening…this is really important to you," he added, making her feel even worse.

"I thought you weren't," she admitted. "I'm sorry I was mean…"

He got up from the floor and put his hands on his hips. "That's it? Just sorry?"

He was playing this for all it was worth, she mused, curling off the bed to track over where she put her arms around his neck and pouted.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry?" She offered.

"Huh," he blew out a breath.

"Please?" she kissed his jaw as he stood solid, looking away. "Please forgive me?"

He remained silent and she lay her hands against his chest and tilted her head up with a seductive smile. "Please?"

When he looked down, his eyes were so intent on hers; she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Since when did you smile at guys like that, Gabriella Montez?" He accused, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his forehead to hers.

"Not guys. Just you." She promised.

He sighed out and captured her mouth, feeling the sweet press of her body to his as he pulled her closer and tightened his hold, trapping her against his hard body.

"Soon," she told him with a swallow as she felt his attraction for her and knew he was silently asking.

"No rush," he assured easily.

"_Julia!" _The door slammed, making them both jump and Troy closed his eyes painfully.

"Jesus," he sighed at the interruption into their moment.

"Don't ask me to go," Gabi begged, cupping his head with her hands and looking right into his eyes.

"They could be going at it all night," he warned with a brow jig.

"Then we'll put some music on," she suggested, wanting to protect him and be there for him the way he was for her that day she visited her father.

He sighed out and swallowed, figuring this would be a test for them and although he didn't want to take it; he knew that Gabi did.

"Okay," he went over to his stereo and turned it on. "So where were you?" He asked of her letter, coming to sit beside her on the bed to finish it.

"I deleted the last line," she smirked of her sentence regarding calling him a loser.

"What does it say now?" he looked over the bed at her.

"Troy is playing his video games and he's super-cute when he does that. In fact, I think I might love him. Would that make you mad?" She asked her father as she scribbled and Troy chuckled.

"You can't tell him that!" He crawled over and she looked up.

"Why not?"

"Because there's no 'might' in how I feel," his brow quirked as he lay down beside her, right on top of her notepad and he let his fingers trail through her hair.

She peered at him and licked her lips. "There's no 'might' for me either…"

"Then it's only fair you tell him the truth…" he stole a short, tender kiss.

"He's my _dad_. He would _flip out_ if I told him I was in love…I'm only sixteen after all..."

Troy shrugged and pulled back. "No more kisses, then."

"Pfft, like I care," she fronted. "You're the kissing monster not me…"

"You don't like kissing me?" His hurt look was back.

"You…" she squinted but didn't finish her thought, so he merely smiled a curly smile and captured her hand against his heart.

"I what, Gabi?"

"I love _you_, that's what," she shared, kissing him with a little kiss.

"Well…" He appeared to consider this. "I guess I love you, too…"

"You guess?" She gasped and pushed him onto his back, straddling him to capture him in her mock-anger.

He pursed his lips. "Okay, I do…" He surrendered.

She squinted. "Whatever," she went to climb from his lap but he rolled over and pinned her to the bed, kissing her long and hard.

"I do," he said again as he lay across her thigh and penetrated her gaze with his.

She smirked. "Too bad, I already changed my mind," she pushed against his chest and escaped the bed, squealing as he chased her around his room and a play-fight ensued.

_Yes, Gabriella Montez was play-fighting_, she mused as she paused for breath and Troy tracked her.

And somehow, life wasn't half as sucky as she expected it to be.

"Do you surrender?" He asked as she swallowed, thinking.

"I-" she took a breath, about to do just that and then she smiled knowingly, darting over to grab the bear from his bed- the one he had told her about all those weeks ago. "Never…" she held the bear hostage.

"Gabriella Anne Montez, you will regret this…" Troy promised as he went back to chasing her.

_But she didn't_, she giggled as she ran. She didn't regret one moment of her time with Troy. Not even the bad stuff because without it, she wouldn't be standing here, clutching his arms and kissing him like their whole lives depended on it.

She wouldn't be happy. And the fact she was, rocked.

Big time.


End file.
